‘Parents now prefer sending kids abroad to study’

Because of the educational standards in the country, parents would rather send their children to colleges and universities abroad, the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) said.

COCOPEA, an organization of academicians from private universities and colleges, blames this on the tuition cap in private schools.

COCOPEA president Vicente Fabella said local colleges and universities are finding it difficult to improve their facilities and stem the influx of teachers to better paying schools abroad because of the ceiling imposed on tuition hikes.

Thus, he said even with almost the same cost of education in private schools here, parents would rather send their children abroad as it is perceived that they have better teachers and facilities.

COCOPEA urged the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) the other day to lift the tuition cap in all private schools in the country.

Fabella said private schools have already suffered a lot due to the ceiling imposed on tuition and other fees, and the students are affected in the end.

He said CHED must also understand that colleges and universities must invest in modern facilities and upgrade the salaries of professors to produce the best graduates.

CHED Chairman Carlito Puno, however, rejected the demand, saying the increase in school fees allowed every year is based on the inflation rate. If colleges and universities want to improve their facilities, they should treat it as capital expenditure and not charge these expenses to the students by raising fees.

However, he justified the 300 percent increase in tuition at the University of the Philippines, saying that it has been some 20 years since the state university increased its fees.

Puno said the bulk of the increase would go to the stipend of the scholars and only students paying tuition will be affected by the increase. — Sandy Araneta