THE Commission on Higher Education (Ched) has deleted the provision in the free college education law's Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) that requires college students to render work for their schools so long as they are benefiting from the free tuition law.
Appropriations panel vice chair Lourdes Aggabao, who sponsored the Ched's budget, stated this during the plenary debates into the proposed 2019 budget on Thursday, September 20, after ACT Teachers Representative Antonio Tinio made a motion to defer the approval of Ched's budget as the agency cannot make a commitment to delete the assailed provision.
"Nirerehistro ko on the record na walang legal na batayan ang pagpasok ng Ched sa IRR ng free tertiary education ng return service requirement," said Tinio.
Under Section 4, Paragraph 3 of the IRR of the Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Tertiary Education Law, state and local universities and colleges are mandated to formulate and implement a Return Service Agreement (RSA) System for students benefitting from the free higher education provision of the law as part of their admission and retention policies.
Tinio argued during the plenary debates that the return of service agreement is not provided for in the free higher education law.
He also argued that an RSA curtails the constitutional right of Filipinos to accessible higher education.
"Ipinasok ng Ched sa IRR ng RA 10931 ang Return Service requirement kahit wala itong anumang batayan sa naturang batas," he said.
Tinio said this nullifies the essence of the law, stressing "kung may kapalit na serbisyo, hindi na tunay na libre ang edukasyon sa kolehiyo."
"Natutuwa kami na sa pamamagitan ng sponsor ng kanilang budget na si Cong. Aggabao, nagkomit ang Ched sa deletion ng return service provision sa IRR," Tinio said.
Ched Officer-in-Charge Prospero De Vera earlier said the students will have to work for their schools in exchange of their free tuition.
"Ayaw mo mag-return of service, eh di magbayad ka ng tuition, that is the provision of the law (If you don’t want to perform return of service, then pay the tuition, that is the provision of the law),” De Vera said.
According to De Vera, the return of service may involve simple tasks like filing books in the library or planting for campus beautification.
"Some of these services are existing activities of the universities already. Yung iba gagamitin yung pag-maintain ng mga landscaping, gagawing project sa mga estudyante, so the return service will happen while they are students. Hindi yung after grumaduate ka pagtatrabahuhin ka, no, it is a return service system while they are students," De Vera said in a PNA report dated March 14, 2018. (SunStar Philippines)