Philippine education and branding is being talked about in the same breathe because of the apparent trend among employers to favor applicants who graduated from the so-called Big Four of Philippine Higher Education. These four have been determined by their consistency in being included in international listings of best universities in both regional and wordwide scope. Ateneo de Manila University (AMU), University of the Philippines (UP), De La Salle University (DLSU), and University of Sto. Tomas (UST) comprise the Big Four. It would appear that to be enrolled in any of these four is synonymous to acquiring a brand.

 the big four

 

Education as an Investment

For most students and parents as well, education has become a form of investment. It is an investment for an expected profit of a good-paying job in a reputable company in the future. It is no secret that most of these reputable companies have a preference for graduates from these four universities. Some may prefer a specific university more than the other three depending on the nature of the job and the area where a university has firmly established its reputation for producing exceptional graduates.

Education is deemed an investment because of the high cost of educational expenses of enrolling in AMU, DLSU, or UST. Being a public educational institution, UP offers  the lowest educational fees although getting a slot there is often compared to the difficulty of a camel passing through the eye of a needle.  This is because of the stiff competition an applicant faces from the graduates of Philippine Science High Schools and the very limited slots available.

Education as a Brand

The fact that many employment decisions are being based on the school from which an applicant graduates from, gives rise to the question of whether education in the Philippines has become a brand. This is more common in determining fitness of applicants for fresh graduates who have no job experience to speak of. The most rational conclusion an observer can arrive at is that the school becomes the deciding factor when all other things are equal. Some are even in the belief that the school matters from the very beginning of the application process as it would appear that graduates from these four schools are given preference over the graduates from all other schools.

Whether we like it or not, qualifications of individuals are being linked to the school where they graduated from. This explains why parents move heaven and earth to ensure that their children finish their education in good schools that are not only recognized locally but internationally as well.  Schools that have managed to earn excellent reputation have worked for it. Students by the mere fact of being enrolled get the privilege of branding themselves as “Atenista”, “Isko/Iska” for “Iskolar ng Bayan”, “Lasalista”, or “Tomasino”.

My Say

Basing the capability of one person on the school where he or she came from is rather a poor basis for assuming anything. It is a fact however that graduating from these schools provide certain advantages that are not solely sourced from the school itself. Many students who are enrolled in Ateneo ,De la Salle , UST, and even UP usually also enjoy the perks of a comfortable life and being exposed to a society that allows them to gain confidence. They become trained to be naturally fluent in speaking which is a must for anyone aspiring for a good job position.

I believe that there are many graduates from other schools that are equally capable, if not more but sometimes there is the question of opportunity.  That said, there is no substitute for excellent educational foundation and this can be obtained from other schools as well. It just so happens that current hiring practices require graduates from other schools to prove their worth more. The relationship between Philippine education and branding  is there although not openly acknowledged.