CHED to list schools with tuition hike plans

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said yesterday it is drawing up a list of colleges and universities that have declared their intention to raise tuition rates for the coming academic year.

CHED chairman Emmanuel Angeles said they expect the list to be finalized Thursday or Friday, when data from CHED’s different regional offices has been transmitted to the central office in Quezon City.

Angeles confirmed that many schools have made plans to raise tuition rates in the past weeks, “but we’re still gathering all the information.”

The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) has been staging protest actions against the tuition hikes proposed by schools all over the country.

NUSP president Einstein Recedes said they are deeply concerned that the unabated tuition hikes could make higher education unattainable for Filipino youths.

Mona Valisno, newly appointed Education Secretary, admitted she is unaware if private elementary and high schools have already informed the Department of Education (DepEd) about plans to raise their tuition.

“I’ll check first with our people here,” she said. While DepEd cannot stop tuition increases, private schools are obliged to inform the DepEd about any such plans.

Meanwhile, Malacañang said it would wait for CHED to make its decision on the proposed 2,000-percent tuition hike of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) before taking a position on the matter.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Gary Olivar said there is no reason for the students and other parties against the proposal to take their case to the Palace or to any other body right now because it will be up to the CHED to study this.

“The process is still beginning, to review this proposal so let’s just wait for the process to take its course,” Olivar said.

The administrators of PUP have proposed a 2,000 percent tuition hike for certain courses in order to finance the upgrading of its facilities and other vital expenses.

PUP president Dante Guevarra said the increase is necessary, considering that the institution has one of the lowest rates among the country’s state colleges and universities. From just P12 per unit, the university is looking to raise this to P200 per unit this school year.

Students, parents and other groups have slammed the proposal, saying that an increase at this time would only add to the burden of the poor and low-income families.          – With Marvin Sy