4 Quesci Students Suspended for Blogging Against the Principal

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Quezon City Science Highschool students suspended over blog
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Today at 8:40pm
Sans appeal, QC high school students' suspension starts Monday
01/15/2009 08:29 AM

MANILA, Philippines - Unless their parents lodge an appeal questioning the verdict, a 10-day suspension on four students for a blog they wrote about their school administration will start this coming Monday
Education Undersecretary Franklin Sunga said Thursday the parents of the four students of Quezon City Science High School have yet to lodge their appeal before the Education department.
"Ang suspension nila 10 days, it will take effect Monday. Sabi ko sa parents mag-file agad sa regional director's office, it will be looked into. Kung kailangan, i-stay ang order," Sunga said in an interview over radio dwIZ.
["Their 10-day suspension starts this coming Monday. I already told their parents to file a petition before the regional director's office so it will be looked into, and if needed, the order will be stayed."]
"As of yesterday [Wednesday], they have not filed an appeal with regional director of the National Capital Region," he added.
The Education department had approved a 10-day suspension for four students of the school over a blog entry they wrote about their principal.
Sunga said he told the parents of the four students the department "upholds only due process but also freedom of speech."
"I advised them to elevate matter to the regional director. We will look into that definitely," he said.
The students' blog entry supposedly mocked school principal Zenaida Sadsad, who also said the entries were damaging to the school's reputation - GMANews.TV

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Press Release: Campus press slams suspension of QCSHS students over blog

The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) today cried foul over the suspension of four students from Quezon City Science High School as punishment for publishing a blog critical of the school's principal and administration.

The blog, http://scientiaetvi rtus.multiply. com, contains articles and images against QCSHS Pres. Zenaida P. Sadsad's policies as well as the students' gripes over irregular lunch hours, required subjects, among others.

The suspension of the four unidentified students also reportedly brought on the closure of QCSHS' school publications, The Electron and The Banyuhay. The school paper's faculty adviser, Mr. Rex San Diego, who is deemed close to the students, was reported to have been axed from his position by Pres. Sadsad.

"It is disturbing to learn that high school students, in their very young age, are being subjected to this kind of campus repression, their right to freedom of speech and expression undermined," said CEGP national president Vijae Alquisola.

Alquisola added, "The students' complaints are valid and legitimate, and their putting up the blog merely a venue to air out their demands and democratic rights. Was the QCSHS administration so threatened by a bunch of high school kids that it resorted to the outright violation of their rights? In these times, young people should be encouraged to voice out their views, not sanctioned and censured into silence."

Alquisola also said that the emotional, social and psychological effects of the suspension on the students should also be considered. "It must surely be a blow to the young ones to be humiliated and treated in such a way. It also sends a wrong and chilling message to other students that in high school, freedom of speech and expression are not recognized."

The CEGP also called on the Department of Education to 'intervene in the overkill disciplinary measure'.

"While the DepEd issued a statement addressing school faculty and administrations not to be 'onion-skinned' to criticisms, it falls short of acting on to the injustice done to the students," Alquisola said.

The CEGP is mulling over filing a complaint in behalf of the students before the DepEd and Congress over the suspension of the students and the closure of the school papers. ###

Reference:
Vijae Alquisola, 09162034402



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Open letter to fellow highschool students of Quesci and alumni:
I am utterly enraged over the news that four students of my beloved Alma Mater, Quezon City Science High School, would be suspended because they blogged against the school administration and the current principal, Dr. Zenaida Panti Sadsad.

I went to check for myself the contents of the blog and there were edited images of Dr. Sadsad depicted as a dictator, stories of questionable policies, and seemingly endless threads of comments all critical to the principal, some members of the teaching staff, and the school administration as a whole.

I am aghast by the punitive and vindictive measures taken by Dr. Sadsad and her cohorts to suspend the four students. I am also incensed that the school's publications The Electron and The Banyuhay have also been padlocked.

Going by how Dr. Sadsad confronted the issues raised by the students' blog, it is obvious that her administration has not been giving the QCSHS students any meaningful venue where they can air their disgust and legitimate demands. The horrendous, illegal message is: "You complain, you get suspended."

This is an outrage. This is a terrible violation of students' constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression. This is a bad manner of mitigating disputes. This is not discipline but repression. From the looks of it, the students were meted with a rather heavy penalty but without due process.

It is in this light that I urge my fellow QCSHS alumni, parents and students of current students to press that the 10-day suspended be rescinded.

Moreover, let us urge the Quezon City government and the Department of Education to instead investigate the misadministration of Dr. Sadsad. For naked abuse of power alone, it is Dr. Sadsad who should be suspended or thrown out of the school.


Respectfully,
Rafael Joseph Maramag
Alumnus
Quezon City Science High School



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Appalling... I echo the same sentiments. I am all for further investigation of all parties involved.

Joyce Anne R. Ponciano
Alumnus, Batch 2000
Quezon City Science High School

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