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Graduate Study at the Time of Pandemic: Notes from a Cash-Strapped Country

2020; RELX Group (Netherlands); Linguagem: Inglês

10.2139/ssrn.3584415

1556-5068

Cyril Belvis,

COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts

Since its first reported case on January 30, the Philippines has reached 5,453 cases of COVID-19. As of April 15, 349 died while 353 recovered out of the total cases since January (Buan, 2020). By mid-April, the country has the highest number of cases in Southeast Asia (ABS-CBN News). The economic strain on the government is likely to continue during the post-pandemic. Budget cuts in education spending could be expected as the government prioritises healthcare and social services. Because state universities and colleges (SUCs) would have to operate with limited funding, accountability measures should be set in place to avoid uneconomical use of resources. This paper argues that uncontrolled attrition rate in state-funded graduate programs indicates unwise use of resources. The paper suggests how graduate professors can reform graduate school culture in the face of economic impact from COVID-19.