Is poverty a hindrance to success? Academic professionals answer
The journey to achieving success varies for every person. While some can go down a linear path based on their plans, others are being held back by numerous factors, primarily due to financial difficulties.
This issue has been highlighted by Dr. Nordy Siason Jr., an SUC President II, in his commencement speech at West Visayas State University in Iloilo City.
In his speech, he recalled how he was exposed to financial difficulties when he was a student-leader, recalling a collective memory with his batchmates when they had to break their piggy banks in a restaurant when the bill came, saying the incident left him a feeling of “shame and doubt but also a beautiful feeling of compassion for [his] batchmates.”
He shared that he continued to witness situations like this when he became a principal and the president of an academic organization, underscoring how “the lack of finances debilitated education.”
“Many say that poverty is not a hindrance to success—that is a lie. The poor almost always must start from scratch, and with the higher costs of living and more demanding curricula, they are disadvantaged,” Siason Jr. said.
“To achieve the same level of success as the rich class [does], the poor must work hard and sacrifice twice as much,” he added.
The statement has since gone viral on Facebook, with most agreeing with his statement.
Is poverty a hindrance to success?
Based on OCTA Research’s survey in April 2024, around 42% or 11.1 million Filipino families consider themselves poor, and while this is 3% lower compared to last year, it cannot be denied that poverty is still the topmost struggle of many Filipinos.
In fact, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) revealed in a May 2024 survey that 10.7 million or 25% of Filipinos majority aged 20-24 years old are out-of-school children and youth (OSCY).
Marlon Pontillas, an associate professor and college dean at Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges, shared that despite his students enjoying free tuition, he still witnessed some struggling financially.
“What hurts me most is that most of these students I know are our academic achievers, but they have to stop schooling because they need to work and help their family members,” he shared with PhilSTAR L!fe.
“It is a lie to say that poverty is not a hindrance to success. Mahirap maging mahirap,” he lamented. “Although you have the dreams, aspirations, and drive to succeed, if you do not have the resources, life won’t be easy,” he stressed.
This was seconded by Micaella Arcemo, the officer-in-charge of the Office of Student Affairs Services (OSAS) in Lyceum of the Philippines-Laguna, saying that such a situation is a consequence of “setting aside the welfare” of the disadvantaged.
“We have to acknowledge that poverty is not a mere result of one's ‘ugly’ choices in life, but rather, is also a consequence of setting aside the welfare of the disadvantaged, underrepresented, and minority groups in the country,” she told L!fe.
Arcemo, who graduated summa cum laude in 2022, added that she recognized poverty at such young age, sharing that she mostly relied on scholarships to continue studying.
“Truth be told, I never would have finished my education if I did not become a scholar. It was only through a scholarship that I got into a private school since elementary, which I was fortunately able to maintain until I graduated,” she shared. “Without this privilege, I would have not graduated with a degree in Psychology and, more so, get employed.”
The role of universities and colleges in helping the disadvantaged
For most people, finishing education is one of the vital steps to achieving success, but this becomes a long shot for financially deprived students since this forces them to drop out and seek employment to sustain their daily needs.
Pontillas underscored the need for educational institutions to revisit their scholarship policies.
“Maybe they can expand the number of their grantees. Sana hindi lang ‘yung mga academic achievers and athletes ang maging recipients. I am hoping to see more institutions that will prioritize scholarships for IPs, PWDs, and even working students. Mas kailangan nila ang financial support for their studies,” he said to L!fe.
He added that he also hopes that more collaborations between institutions and organizations would help sponsor scholarships to students.
He emphasized: “Many students cannot afford to buy load credits for online classes, pay for textbooks, contribute to projects, pay for thesis and internship fees, and more. We need to empower our students. They need help."
Meanwhile, Arcemo noted that besides financial assistance and scholarships, universities can also look at the holistic way of reaching out to disadvantaged students.
“Perhaps what is usually missed out is reaching out to these students and taking the time to talk with them about their experiences,” she said.
She explained: “The simple acts of kamustahan are vital, because financial concerns can just be about the simple problem of settling fees, but the mental impact of poverty on these students may have been adversely affecting them for years.”
What should be prioritized?
Pontillas believes a solution requires considering multiple aspects. For starters, institutions should review their processes and policies.
For the admission process, he noted some points to ponder: “How do they admit students? Do they also allocate percentages for IPs, underprivileged, PWDs, and the like? For scholarships – What scholarships are available at their schools? Do they also cater to students who may not be academic achievers but have the grit to finish their program?”
He also noted that student affairs services should also review what support they can give to students who are struggling with “mental health problems, abuses, financial constraints, and other challenges.”
For Arcemo, prioritizing the welfare of the disadvantaged students is “key to mitigating the impacts of poverty.”
"Poverty is not just because people choose to be financially illiterate. Rather, it is a multifaceted problem that affects millions of Filipinos," she continued.
“We can always praise resilience, but as part of the academe, we are responsible for helping sustain this resilience by ensuring that students have adequate support systems as they go through this journey. If we can only lend a helping hand, even to one disadvantaged student, we can change the world one student at a time,” she stressed.
