Friday, April 20, 2007 Kabataan partylist opposes tuition fee hike By Erwin Ambo S. Delilan
THE Kabataan partylist group is against the move of the Commission on Higher Education to hike tuition fees both in private and public colleges and universities nationwide.
Negros Occidental Governor Joseph Marañon, on the other hand, appealed to all colleges and universities in the province to implement the tuition hike gradually.
Ched Chairman Carlito Puno, however, has already allowed tuition fee increase in 1,200 private schools and 112 state universities and colleges for the next school year.
Puno said the commission decided to lift the cap on tuition fee increases because tertiary educational institutions are losing their global competitiveness.
Clarizze Singson of Kabataan, however, said education remains poor in the country.
Marañon also feared that new tuition fee increase will soon result to a large number of out-of-school youth.
"I hope this will not happen and I hope the schools will implement this Ched order gradually."
But Puno said, "We need to spend more for education."
Thus, he assured that Ched has created an adhoc committee that will study the current tuition scheme of college institutions and make the appropriate recommendations within the school year.
For the past three years, tuition increases have been pegged to a maximum equivalent to the inflation rate.
The rate was 6.2 percent last year and 4.4 percent this year.
