SOME 30,000 college students and indigenous peoples from the Cordillera Administrative Region may now avail of the “Universal Access to Quality Education” or free education after the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) launching of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the free tuition law in March.
During the National Information Caravan for RA.10931 or the “Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act” launching in Baguio City, six state universities and colleges in the region will be the pilot educational institution to undergo with the program.
Starting school year 2018 to 2019, the government will shoulder the tuition and fees of students enrolled in 112 state universities and colleges with 78 local universities and colleges nationwide including technical-vocation (tech-voc) education and training programs registered under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Commission on Higher Education Cordillera OIC Geraldine Casipit explained the number of college students for this school year may still increase following the graduation of K to 12 students.
"I saw the need of our IP's in CAR (Cordillera) for financial assistance for their tertiary education. With the implementation of the free education act or the access to quality tertiary education, we can now help our deserving Cordillerans," Casipit said.
Under the IRR of Republic Act No. 10931, it includes provisions detailing how students can avail of loans and other subsidies to help fund their tertiary education.
For financially-able students, they are given the option to either opt out of the free higher education provision altogether, aside from students availing of the free tuition law’s benefits but also contribute a specific amount to their higher education institution of choice.
"The beneficiaries will be subject to the admission and retention policy of the educational institution and its carrying capacity. These six state educational Institutions in the region will be given 5,000 slots each for a total of 30,000 student beneficiaries which is the opportune time for them to avail of this program of the government," Casipit added.
Benguet's State University, Ifugao State University, Mountain Province State Polytechnic College, Apayao State University, Kalinga State University and Abra State Institute of Science and Technology were identified as the pilot schools in the region to undertake the Free Education Act.
The National Government have allotted a little over P40 billion for the first year of implementation of the free tuition law nationwide.
Of this number, P16 billion is set aside for free higher education, P 7 billion for free tech-voc education, P15.851 billion for tertiary education subsidy, P1 billion for student loan program, P11 million for the Tertiary Education Tracking and Reporting System, and P11 million for the administrative cost of the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education 2018.