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Saturday, July 01, 2006
UP Mindanao students boycott classes to protest 200% tuition hike
STUDENTS of the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao walked out from their classes Friday to mark a nationwide call to protest the 200 percent proposed tuition fee increase in all UP campuses.
The walkout is also in opposition to the continued negligence of the Arroyo administration to education with the reenacted budget manifesting the state's abandonment of the deteriorating education in state colleges and universities.
"Despite Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's claims that education is a top priority of her administration, the 2006 reenacted budget worsens the condition of education in state colleges and universities as it allocates more for her all out war than for education," said Raymond Basilio, president of the University Student Council of UP Mindanao.
According to the National Union of Student of the Philippines -- an alliance of student councils and governments in the country -- the allocations for education and other social services have continually declined. Trends from 2001 to 2006 show that the share of education to the total budget has fallen from 17.4% to 13.9%; health, from 1.9% to 1.3%; and housing from 0.4% to 0.3 percent.
The NUSP said that as a result, commercialization of education is evident in the perennial problem on tuition fee increases every year. Worst, the students of University of the Philippines face another threat to be ripped off their right to education as the UP administration proposed an increase in tuition for the coming year.
"UP as a state university should serve the Filipino youth to access an affordable tertiary education. But with the increases in tuition and other fees, University of the Philippines is taking the path to commercialization that competes with other private colleges and universities," Basilio added.
Since the establishment of the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP) in 1989, tuition fee in UP Mindanao rose from less than P100 per unit to P200-300 per unit.
"With the proposal of the de Dios Committee who reviewed the STFAP last Febraury 2005, the students will have to pay P600 per unit, that is a 200% increase in tuition," Basilio added.
While the "iskolar ng Bayan" struggles to fight for higher state subsidy, Arroyo's selfish motives prevailed as she forced a deadlock in Congress that left the legislature reenacting the 2005 budget.
According to the University Student Council of UP Mindanao, the supposed additional budget of P4 billion to the Department of Education and more than P100 million to State Universities and Colleges are now gone with the wind with of the reenactment of national budget.
With the reenacted budget, Senate President Franklin Drilon said Arroyo's discretionary funds could reach as much as P21 billion that she could use in her all out war triggered against her critics.
The crisis of education has been exposed in this school season because of the long-standing neglect and wrong policies of the government such as classroom shortages, lack of schools and facilities, lack of teachers, incessant tuition and other school fee increases.
However, amidst all of these problems, Arroyo opted to have the 2005 budget reenacted and infuse more funds to the military.
The youth and students vow to make the Arroyo administration responsible for the worsening condition of state colleges and universities. We will further our protest until the immediate ouster of the fake, corrupt and fascist Arroyo regime.
(July 1, 2006 issue)
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