ILOILO City—Student leaders from state universities and colleges (SUCs) on Panay and Guimaras Islands have deplored cuts in the education budget next year, warning of increased dropouts especially of students coming from poor families.
In a regional summit here on Saturday, the student leaders, including representatives of student councils, school publications and other campus organizations coming from nine SUCs, called for greater government subsidy to education.
The student leaders said combined cuts in education in the 2012 budget compared with this year’s budget would reach at least P573.96 million.
“This is an outright abrogation of the administration of President Aquino of its financial responsibility to provide quality and accessible education to its citizens,” the student leaders said in a manifesto.
It was signed by 120 student leaders from Aklan State University, Capiz State University, Guimaras State College, Iloilo State College of Fisheries, Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College, University of Antique, University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV), Western Visayas College of Science and Technology, Western Visayas State University, College Editors Guild of the Philippines, National Union of Students of the Philippines, League of Filipino Students and Kabataan party-list.
Tuition hikes
They pointed out that in the proposed 2012 national budget, P21.8 billion was allotted for 112 SUCs, far from the P45 billion requested by the SUCs.
“This will inevitably lead to tuition and other fee hikes,” said UPV student council officer Raiza Khey Llorico.
The budget of the Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State Colleges will be slashed by P5.156 million from P164.234 million this year to P159.078 million next year, according to Kabataan party-list regional coordinator Karlo Mikhail Mongaya.
The Aklan State University will also suffer budgetary cuts from P152.930 million to P143.779 million, or a P9.151-million decrease.
Funding for personnel services of the Western Visayas College of Science and Technology and maintenance and operating expenses of the Western Visayas State University have also been reduced.
The student leaders said in their resolution that they would push for the restoration of the budget cuts through various activities and protest actions culminating on December 8.