MANILA – Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Wednesday urged urgent action to strengthen the Free Higher Education Law amid soaring dropout rates in state colleges and universities (SUCs).
Romualdez made the call after data from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) showed that the national dropout rate in school year 2023 to 2024 reached 39 percent.
According to the EDCOM 2 data, the dropout rate in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) was as high as 93.4 percent; Central Visayas reported 60.7 percent; Zamboanga Peninsula - 59.5 percent; Cordillera - 54.9 percent; Metro Manila - 52.4 percent; Soccsksargen - 51.2 percent; and Western Visayas - 50.2 percent.
“These are not just statistics. They are shattered dreams and interrupted futures, often because students cannot afford transportation, food, rent, books or internet,” Romualdez said in a statement.
“Free tuition was a landmark achievement, but the work is far from over. We need to protect and build on the gains of the Free Higher Education Law by ensuring students have the means to actually finish school.”
Romualdez expressed strong support for House Resolution (HR) No. 61 filed by Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, which seeks a full review of the implementation and long-term sustainability of Republic Act (RA) 10931, or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
He said the review should focus on identifying support mechanisms beyond tuition coverage to help students complete their degrees.
He urged the government to consider strategic interventions such as monthly stipends, transport subsidies, food allowances, and digital access programs.
“This is a gap we must urgently fill. If we truly want free higher education to be a ladder out of poverty, we need to make sure our students can actually stay in school and graduate,” Romualdez said.
He said the overwhelming public support for free tuition in SUCs reflects a national mandate to strengthen and expand the law.
A Pulse Asia survey conducted in January 2024 and commissioned by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian showed that 98 percent of Filipinos support free tuition in public colleges.
“The Free Higher Education Law has changed millions of lives. But transformation is not complete when so many students are forced to drop out. Our mission is not just to provide access, but to ensure completion,” Romualdez said.
“We owe it to our students to fund this law properly. We owe it to every Filipino family to give their children a real chance at a better future. And we owe it to the nation to make education a powerful equalizer, not an unfinished promise.” (PNA)