Ched-National Capital Region (NCR) director Amelia Biglete said her office will submit to the commission's central office the report pertaining to the application for tuition fee hike of private HEIs on May 15.
Biglete added that Ched Central Office will announce to the public whether or not to allow tuition fee hike after May 15.
Earlier, Ched deputy executive director Julito Vitriolo, expressed belief that the lifting of Ched Memorandum Order (CMO) 14 will not lead to "skyrocketing" increase on tuition fees adding that they expect any increase to be in the area of between eight to 10 percent.
"I daresay that the increase would only be around eight to 10 percent," Vitriolo said.
Vitriolo also said Ched is anticipating a small number of schools, about 20 percent of the total public and private colleges and universities in the country that would be asking for tuition hikes.
There are about 1,242 public and private HEIs in the country today.
"In terms of institutions, perhaps the schools who would be seeking an increase would only be around 20 percent because of the economic impact," he added.
CMO 14 issued in 2005 provided that private schools are prohibited to increase their tuition fees by more than the pegged inflation rate.
Then Ched chairman, Carlito Puno suspended the said memo which was eventually junked on Malacañang's order with the issuance of CMO 16 that set the guidelines to be followed in processing of applications of higher education institutions intending to increase tuition and other fees for school year 2008-2009.
Among the guidelines which Ched said will be imposed strictly is the implementation of CMO 13, mandating a consultation process with all the players involved in the education sector before any increase in tuition will be granted.
This means parents and students have to have their inputs and their nod first before having any increase in tuition fees.
Vitriolo said if a school increase tuition fee more than what is being expected of them, they stand to lose their students.
He cited Ched records to which they saw a major drop in the number of students who enrolled in private schools as it went down to 60 percent last school year, from 85 percent.
The youth and students groups' reaction came after confirming that Arroyo has signed an order reaffirming CMO 13 setting the guidelines for tuition fee increase minus the tuition fee cap.
"By reaffirming CMO 13, the government gave a go-signal to school owners to increase their tuition and miscellaneous fee rate and impose new school fees at their own whim. While the guidelines provide for consultations with students, unresolved complaints filed by student councils from different schools at Ched already show how inutile the process is," Kabataan Pinoy (KP) said in a statement.
The group said the new Malacañang order only leads to further decline in the preliminary enrolment figures in coming school year brought about by huge "gap" between the increasing cost of education in the country and the financial capacity of Filipino families to send their children to school.
"We see a decline of 50 percent in enrolment in private schools this year or even more," the KP statement said, claiming that the enrolment decline is also being experienced in state schools where tremendous tuition rate increase is being enforced.
Citing the recent Family Income and Expenditure Survey (Feis), they said Filipinos are now allocating less for their household education spending.
Average spending on school fees, books and supplies fell to 4 percent from 4.2 percent during the three-year period as average family income in the country also declined by 10 percent.
"Unfortunately, most Filipino families now have to make a choice between sending their children to school and spending their meager income on food in order to survive. Poverty and government neglect have made education a luxury to many of our countrymen," the youth group said. (AH/Sunnex)
