The UP Padayon Public Service Office has released and endorsed the Public Service Summit Report for UP administration officials and chancellors. The Report, a culmination of the deliberations during the two-day Public Service Summit, presents a thorough examination of the actual experiences and practices of public service and service learning units and offices in the UP System and provides proposals and recommendations to better serve the internal and external stakeholders of UP.
The Public Service Summit was held at the Vidal Tan Hall from May 30 to 31, 2024. The Summit was co-organized by the Padayon Public Service, the U.P. Office of the Faculty Regent, and the All U.P. Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU). It was attended by 46 faculty representatives from the various programs, projects, and initiatives in the different Constituent Universities across the UP System, including representatives from Pahinungod offices and the local chapters of the AUPAEU. The goal of the Summit is to facilitate the sharing of experiences and practices among public service units and institutions in UP, and explore the possibility of institutionalizing public service in the existing arrangements and processes in UP. The report’s release is a direct outcome of these discussions and serves as a roadmap for adoption and reforms.
The report highlights several critical public service issues the UP administration must address to create an enabling environment for faculty members’ public service efforts. One of the most pressing concerns is the lack of institutional support, evidenced by the absence of credit loads for coordinators despite substantial responsibilities. Additionally, the report points to the dynamic internal politics and bureaucratic burdens, which hinder efficiency by straining faculty with excessive paperwork and workload challenges.
Another significant finding is the urgent need to increase the percentage of public service in the Faculty Merit Promotion system. The report notes that “public service must be integrated into teaching and research given the tripartite function of the faculty.”
The Public Service Summit Report outlines several proposed programs aimed at addressing the existing challenges in public service:
- Institutionalize service-learning and community engagement in the curriculum
- Establish a Public Service Productivity Award
- Establish a system-based Public Service Project Grant and Mobilization Fund
- Institutionalize the extension load credits for public service across all UP CUs and autonomous college
The Public Service Summit marks phase one of a series of consultative meetings and discussions on UP’s public service mandate and its programs and initiatives for achieving this mandate. The succeeding phases of the Summit will focus on staff, REPS, and students. The recommendations outlined in the report provide a clear framework and a call to action for the UP administration to foster a more enabling environment for the public service efforts of its faculty. As the conversation continues, the focus will be on ensuring that the recommendations lead to meaningful change and improved outcomes for UP’s public service efforts.
To access the full document: https://publicservice.up.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Public-Service-Summit-Report.pdf