Campus facilities such as classrooms, libraries, and computer labs remain essential aspects in ensuring the optimality of learning. However, Isabela State University-Cauayan Campus (ISU-CC) meets head-on with the shortage thereof, which in turn topples the pillars of quality instruction and student experience in the campus.
With that being said, it is important that we overcome such obstacles to the mission that the university has grounded itself on to—providing quality instruction—and help the manifestation of our mission by talking about and addressing the condition of the very halls and grounds where we function.
One of the pressing concerns with the campus facilities is the scarcity of lecture rooms wherein students and teachers are forced to conduct their classes outside either at the bleachers of the gymnasium, at the old stage of the university, or under the blistering heat of the sun, affecting the concentration of the students and the performance of the teachers during discussion.
Mayflor, a first-year student, shared her experience about the issue. “When I attend classes outdoors, especially at the gym, it largely affects my learning experience due to heavy distraction factors like noise, heat, or changing weather. I find it quite hard to concentrate and receive the information being discussed. Hence, generally harming my academic performance and future learning capacity,” she stressed.
Additionally, existing facilities are in poor condition; lack of chairs that leave students standing while in class and the lack of ceiling fans leaves some classrooms heated during noontime—leading to decreased motivation among students and teachers.
As a result of these unfortunate circumstances, a student under Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management (BSHM) fainted in the middle of discussion last September 2024.
A study conducted by Simon Pierre Ntahomvukiye and Cyprien Sikubwabo showed that the quality of a school building is a key determinant of educational excellence, serving as one of the benchmarks for assessing the degree of educational progress and growth. This suggests that inadequate management and maintenance of the campus infrastructures can negatively affect students’ academic performance and health.
However, the university’s limited budget, along with current projects such as the construction of a new building at the back of the campus gymnasium, are some of the possible reasons as to why some campus facilities are left unattended, and these reasons cannot be solved nor completed overnight.
Given that construction of new establishments takes time, the university could take incremental steps by improving classroom experience, maximizing the limited budget, and developing better plans.
There are issues that could be resolved in a short span of time with less expenses, such as repairing broken ceiling fans, buying ceiling fans for classrooms that lack them, and installing curtains on windows to decrease the amount of sunlight entering the rooms during noontime, among other improvements.
Attaining a more interactive and conducive learning environment comes from the will of the community to continuously innovate and improve school buildings, additionally helping teachers to be better prepared to adapt to the changing education requirements of their students. In this way, all learners will reach outstanding academic outcomes and no one will be left behind.
Indeed, the university establishes many projects to improve their services among students. Even so, ISU-CC must ensure that these projects will actually uphold learners’ welfare and will give them an optimal educational experience. They must start to prioritize initiatives that address the pressing condition of campus facilities to further champion the university’s mission of providing quality instruction and producing globally competitive individuals.
