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Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Arroyo stops college tuition hikes
MANILA -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered Commission on Higher Education (Ched) Monday to stop all state colleges, universities, and private higher education institutions (HEIs) from increasing tuition for the current school year.
Arroyo made the order in light of the rising prices of oil, food and other commodities.
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
During the Department of Education (DepEd) command conference in Pasig City, she also directed Ched to do an extensive review of the previous tuition and other school fee increases to determine if they all comply with the existing guidelines and rules on such adjustments.
She said Ched should ensure that previous fee increases were really used for salaries and benefits of the faculty and non-academic personnel and in modernizing the school equipment and facility.
The President stressed that the rising prices of oil and food is already forcing families to cut back on their spending, with some even doing away with certain necessities.
According to her, a tuition increase would only be an additional burden.
"The last thing that our parents need at this point to keep their children striving for college diplomas is another round of adjustment in tuition and other school expenses," she said.
"I am directing the higher education commission to communicate my appeal to private higher education institutions to reconsider and freeze plans to increase tuition and other fees this school year," she added.
Arroyo said the government understands the side of the private institutions, particularly the need to reap the fruits of their "legitimate" and "lofty" investments, but they must also "balance this interests with that of the rest of our people who regard college education the lasting legacy to future generations".
"At an average of P450 per unit, parents are spending about P10,000 for their children with 21-unit loads in college, an expense that eats up a sizeable amount of the hard-earned income of ordinary Filipinos. Hence, any adjustment in school fees is an added burden most of them can ill afford during these belt-tightening times," Arroyo said.
She added that in order for the country to produce more highly skilled graduates who would help the Philippines achieve first-world status in a decade's time, the students must remain in school.
President Arroyo also advised the government to reverse the dropout rate and set off an environment conducive for learning.
She said freezing the tuition increases is in keeping with the state's constitutional mandate to protect and promote citizens' right to quality education.
Too late
The youth group Kabataang Pinoy president Dion Cerrafon said President Arroyo's announcement is too late as enrollment is already underway in most schools.
"The Arroyo government seems to be scrambling for cover from the bad news of continuing price hikes to avoid public ire. But enrollment has already started in state universities and most schools are already done with their freshman registration," he said.
He said enrollment is almost over in some state schools such as the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) while enrollment for freshmen, to whom most tuition increase apply, is already finished for most public tertiary schools as early as the second week of May.
"Malacañang's late announcement will only sow confusion to both schools administrators and students. Obviously, this is another empty back-to-school media gimmick meant to appease cash-strapped parents," he said.
Long-term solutions
National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) president Alvin Peters, for his part, said while a tuition increase moratorium provides an immediate relief to parents and students, the government should also look into long-term solutions that will put an end to unabated tuition increases.
Peters urged the Arroyo government and legislators to review Batas Pambansa 232 or the Education Act of 1982, which placed the education sector under a deregulated environment.
He explained that the said law is the main culprit behind incessant increases in tuition and other fees as it gives school owners limitless powers to determine their own tuition rate.
Appeal
The higher education commission meantime admitted that it could only appeal to owners of private HEIs in the country to moderate their tuition increase this school year.
"We can only appeal to their (private school owners) social responsibility not to hike their tuition fee too much. They have the law to back them up on this," said Ched deputy executive director Julito Vitriolo.
Vitriolo said they would talk to owners of private HEIs to ask them to heed the appeal of the President.
He said the case of state colleges and universities (SUCs) is different from the private sector since they are mostly funded by the government.
As to students in SUCs who have already enrolled and paid the additional payments, Vitriolo said they could either refund the amount or credit it when they enroll in the second semester.
"They can ask for a refund but that is a bureaucratic nightmare and very time-consuming. The best thing to do is for their additional payments to be credited when they enroll in the second semester," he said.
MO 16
The commission will strictly monitor the compliance of private HEIs with the provisions of Memorandum Order (MO) 16.
Vitriolo said failure to comply could result in the filing of administrative charges against the owners.
The agency has suspended Ched MOs 14, 42, and 7 that prohibit private schools from increasing their tuition above the inflation rate, lately pegged at 8.5 percent.
It issued MO 16, which identifies the guidelines to be followed in processing applications of HEIs intending to increase tuition and other fees for school year 2008-2009.
It has also released MO 13 that provides for a consultation with all the players involved in the education sector. In this case, parents and students have to agree with the increase in tuition before it can be implemented.
Ched also tasked its regional offices to monitor the school's compliance with the Gastpe Law Provision, which states that at least five percent of its student population should be given scholarship privileges. (JMR/AH/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cebu. (May 27, 2008 issue)
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