Elago wants admission policies in SUCs probed

Kabataan Rep. Sarah Elago filed on Tuesday House Resolution (HR) 1980 which seeks a probe into the admission and retention policies in state universities and colleges (SUCs) following the implementation of Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education (UAQTE) Act.

Elago also filed House Resolution 1980 seeking probe into the admission and retention policies in state universities and colleges following the implementation of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education (UAQTE) Act. pic.twitter.com/6FT60rLAmv

— Path Roxas (@PathRoxasINQ) July 3, 2018

In filing the resolution, Elago has cited instances where free tertiary education remains elusive to some, even after the first implementation of the UAQTE with the implementing rules and regulations.

The progressive lawmaker noted Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Officer-in-Charge Prospero de Vera III’s earlier statement that only 4,000 out of 10,000 applicants were accepted by the Cagayan State University.

The Bulacan State University student government meanwhile said only 10,000 were admitted out of 22,000 applicants.

These reported low admission rates “serve as limitation to accessibility of free public higher education,” Elago said.

“This clearly defeats the purpose of the free education law, as more students are deprived of access to state universities and colleges and, therefore, will be forced to enroll in private schools and suffer the burden of the skyrocketing cost of tuition and miscellaneous fees,” she added.

The CHED announced late last year that only 23 of the 118 community colleges are accredited and will benefit from the UAQTE.

Apart from this, passing the entrance and retention policies and finishing the undergraduate degree a year after the prescribed period are also some of the many restrictions stated in RA 10931.

Meanwhile, Elago also filed on Tuesday HR 1979 seeking inquiry into the impact of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Law on tuition and other school fee increases.

She suspects the Train law “might further drive increases in tuition and other school fees collected from students.” /muf

The progressive lawmaker also filed HR 1979 seeking inquiry into the impacts of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Law on tuition and other school fee increases. pic.twitter.com/k9qFSyQcJI

— Path Roxas (@PathRoxasINQ) July 3, 2018