MANILA, Philippines—If a school already charges an “energy” fee, why still pay an “aircon” fee? Or shell out for “athletics” when there’s already a “sports” fee?
National student organizations on Thursday called the attention of the Senate to the redundant and sometimes “bizarre and unfathomable” charges allegedly hidden in miscellaneous fees charged by many colleges and universities.
Kabataan party-list Rep. Raymond Palatino cited Silliman University for allegedly requiring students to pay a “stones and pebbles” fee. What Palatino did not tell the Senate committee on education was that the fee was most likely for a student publication that goes by that name.
Palatino rattled off the names of other schools and the allegedly “dubious” expenses they have been charging: memorabilia fee (Polytechnic University of the Philippines), Pistang Pinoy fee (Letran College), band fee (University of Nueva Caceres), and communication fee (Central Luzon State University).
He also questioned fees reportedly being collected by St. Scholastica’s College in Manila for thesis proposal (P1,200), thesis editing (P900) and resumé printing (P245).
“Parents will not complain if you collect a library fee, that’s reasonable.
They’re complaining against the unreasonable, dubious and sometimes redundant fees,” Palatino told the committee hearing.
Review of guidelines
He urged a review of the tuition guidelines and suggested that miscellaneous fees be made a matter for consultation with the parents and students.
Einstein Recedes, president of the National Union of Students of the Philippines, urged the committee to look into the so-called “carry over” scheme which some schools are reportedly using to circumvent the regulation of tuition.
He said incoming freshmen were being charged a higher tuition, so they end up paying more for the rest of their stay.
“This one I really find disturbing,” said committee chair Sen. Edgardo Angara of the scheme.
Antonio Abad, legal counsel of the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (Pacu), said the collection of “redundant” fees were isolated cases. He said it was not a practice among Pacu members.
Abad said schools have to impose miscellaneous fees in order to survive in the face of rising costs. “Otherwise, the quality of education will certainly go down,” he said.
“It may be a cliche but it is an infallible truth that quality education is very expensive. There is a direct relationship between financial capacity and quality of education,” he added.
Contractual in nature
Abad said admission to private schools was “contractual in nature,” meaning nobody is forced to enroll in a particular school.
“If a person cannot afford to study in a private school, he or she can always study in a public school,” said Abad, who is connected with Adamson University.
Angara asked school organizations to come up with a standard rate for miscellaneous fees to avoid “misunderstandings” and “bizarre and exotic-sounding fees.”
The senator said the Philippines was unique in Southeast Asia in that 80 percent of tertiary students were in private schools. He said the regional trend puts some 90 percent of students in public schools.
Since 2001, however, 2.13 million college students had dropped out of school because of the rising cost of education, Recedes said.
He said colleges and universities in Metro Manila currently charge an average P21,572 per semester.
A Manila councilor, meanwhile, has filed two resolutions seeking to regulate the prices of school supplies and asking the national government to impose a moratorium on tuition hikes.
Undue advantage
Councilor DJ Bagatsing of Manila’s 4th district, which covers the university belt, called on the Department of Trade and Industry to regulate the cost of school supplies and ensure that those being sold on the market are “product-standard compliant.”
“During this time, retailers raise their prices to take undue advantage of the substantial increase in the demand for school supplies,” Bagatsing said.
He said some “unscrupulous businessmen” may start selling substandard items to cut corners.
In another resolution, Bagatsing urged Malacañang to impose a five-year moratorium on tuition hikes by private schools.
“There is an urgent need to arrest the tuition hikes and ensure that our children and the youth shall be given every opportunity to have access to and pursue quality education in all levels,” he said.