THE National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) and the Public Interest Law Center (PILC) have expressed alarm over what they described as suppressionist use of school regulations against students who were exercising their freedom of speech.
“Students do not leave their rights at the school gate. Educational institutions, whether public or private, are places where ideas must be tested, questioned, debated, and challenged. They should cultivate critical thought, not demand unquestioning conformity,” the NUPL said in a statement on Thursday.
“While schools possess legitimate disciplinary authority, such authority cannot extend so far as to violate constitutional safeguards,” NUPL added.
It cited Supreme Court rulings that say schools cannot use their disciplinary measures to violate the constitutional rights of students, including Malabanan vs. Ramento. In the decision, the court declared that students, like other citizens, enjoy “the freedom to express their views and communicate their thoughts to those disposed to listen in gatherings” and do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”
The NUPL and PILC urged educational institutions not to recast disagreement as discourtesy, criticism as disobedience, and association as misconduct.
“Any university worthy of its name cannot preach critical thinking while punishing students for practicing it. It cannot profess a commitment for human rights while penalizing their exercise, nor can it hide behind academic freedom to suppress the democratic rights of its students,” the groups said.
