MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino has signed laws creating new state colleges and universities to give more poor students access to tertiary education.
Aquino signed Republic Act 10594 establishing the Talisay City State College in Talisay, Cebu; RA 10597 establishing the Northern Iloilo State University; RA 10598 putting up the Compostela Valley State University; and RA 10600 for the Surigao del Norte State University.
The President also signed RA 10595 converting the Western Visayas College of Science and Technology in Iloilo into a state university to be known as the Iloilo Science and Technology University with its main campus in Iloilo City.
He signed RA 10596 converting the Mindoro State College of Agriculture and Technology in Victoria, Oriental Mindoro into a state university to be known as the Mindoro State University; and RA 10599 converting the Palompon Institute of Technology in Palompon, Leyte into a state university to be known as the Palompon Polytechnic State University.
The President signed the new laws last June 4.
The Commission on Higher Education said there were a total of 110 state universities and colleges (SUCs) as of August 2011.
Former Education secretary Edilberto de Jesus had urged the government to strengthen existing SUCs instead of establishing local colleges that more often than not do not meet the standards.
De Jesus, currently the president of the Asian Institute of Management, issued the call shortly before Aquino assumed the presidency.
“The more state universities they put up, the smaller the budget they put into them,†he said.