Arroyo orders colleges to refund tuition, other fees (4:59 p.m.)
SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Tuesday ordered all state universities and colleges (SUCs) that imposed and collected additional tuition and school fees for the current school semester to either refund or credit them as incremental payment for the next semester.
Arroyo, during the joint National Economic Development Authority-National Anti-Poverty Commission (Neda-Napo) Cabinet meeting at the Capitol building here, also urged private higher education institutions (HEIs) that implemented and already collected fee hikes to do the same.
Commission on Higher Education (Ched) Commissioner Nona Ricafort said the government is also asking for a one-week extension on the enrollment in all colleges and universities in the country to accommodate students who were initially unable to enroll due to the fee hikes.
Ricafort said the government’s order to freeze any tuition increases in SUCs, which stemmed from a directive of the President in a bid to prevent additional burden on the public, still stand while the same appeal is still being sent out to the private HEIs.
The said directives stemmed from the recommendations of Ched chairman Romulo Neri. (JMR/Sunnex)
Leave a Reply