Wednesday, May 28, 2008 26 private schools increase tuition
DESPITE the President’s appeal to freeze tuition increases across the country, 19 schools in Cebu have already done so for next school year.
Dante Cabunilas, education supervisor of the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) 7, said the increase in tuition in the 26 schools would be effective despite the President’s appeal.
“The schools will implement the increase,” he said, adding that aside from the 19 from Cebu, seven institutions from other Central Visayas provinces will also be asking for higher tuition.
The highest increase sought was 16 percent while the lowest was three percent.
Ched has yet to receive a formal communication from Malacañang on the freezing of the tuition increase and will continue to allow schools to increase their tuition unless told otherwise.
Officials of schools operating in Cebu City said during the 888 News Forum yesterday that they find it difficult to heed the President’s appeal since they have to consider the salaries of their teachers, and the needs of and improvements for their schools.
“There are so many factors involved here. There are macro- and micro-economic factors to be considered. This is not something you can unilaterally decide on because there are so many stakeholders involved,” said incoming university president Fr. Dionisio Miranda, SVD, of the University of San Carlos (USC).
Miranda, however, said that USC will listen to the President’s appeal but cannot immediately respond to it.
Engr. Jose Mari Bigornia from the College of Technological Sciences (CTS), for his part, said they have to keep up with the costs of running the school since maintaining the facilities and equipment costs much.
In a radio dyLA report, Provincial Board Member Agnes Magpale said the appeal came “too late” since school opening is already near and their school’s enrolment is already ongoing.
With the five-percent tuition increase her school is implementing, Magpale admitted that she finds herself in a dilemma –- being a public servant who wants to follow the President’s appeal and one who is running a school and knows that an increase is needed for the institution to survive.
Magpale also said that she made sure that the teachers and personnel would receive a raise in their salaries.
Cebu Doctors’ University owner Dr. Potenciano Larrazabal Jr. shared Magpale’s sentiment, admitting that they would be focusing on the salaries of their teachers.
Larrazabal said that with their six percent increase, they would be using 70 percent for their professors’ salaries, 18 percent for school improvement and 12 percent will go to the university.
Larrazabal also defended the increase, saying they needed to raise their teachers’ pay or they would lose them to employers abroad.
Meanwhile, aside from the tuition increase, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 7 has noticed a significant increase in the prices of school supplies across stores.
DTI 7 Chief Carol Ventura said in a radio interview that there were several commodities with significant price increases and a few with a minimal price increase. (EPB)
