Solons seek ‘no fail policy’, moratorium on tuition increases

HOME VISIT In this photo taken in February, public school teacher Hazel Broqueza visits her Grade 1 student, Mariana Margate, in the family’s house in Cainta, Rizal, to check on her progress as schools resort to distance learning during the pandemic. Broqueza says Mariana and her brother, third grader Mariano, have failed to participate in online classes at home due to a lack of a suitable mobile phone. —LYN RILLON

MANILA, Philippines — The Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives is urging the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to impose a moratorium on increases in tuition and other school payables, and implement a “no-fail policy” in all educational institutions in the country amid the coronavirus pandemic.

These are contained in House Resolutions 1721 and 1722 filed on April 20, a copy of which was obtained by media on Thursday.

Under House Resolution No. 1721, which seeks for the implementation of the “no-fail policy,” the lawmakers said teachers and students are facing the same woes in the education sector a year into the remote learning set-up, such as poor internet connection and lack of gadgets.

They said that students, teachers, and their families are likewise “experiencing the impacts of the historic economic crisis that plunged millions into joblessness, poverty, and hunger.”

“Easing of the academic load is necessary to help students and members of faculty and education support personnel in these difficult times when the country is still implementing distance learning programs,” the lawmakers said.

“As the country reels from a global health crisis and its economic impacts, DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones, CHEd Commissioner Popoy De Vera, and President Rodrigo Duterte should immediately take action now more than ever to assist students and teachers,” they added.

Meanwhile, in House Resolution No. 1722, which seeks the imposition of moratorium on tuition and other fees, the lawmakers pointed out that the implementation of distance learning has left school facilities unused, yet there are educational institutions that continue to charge other school fees such as Related Learning Experience (RLE) fee, on-the-job training (OJT) fee, cultural fee, gym fee, energy fee, dental fee, and laboratory fees.

Aside from this, the lawmaker said that instead of using its power to halt tuition and other fee increases for the upcoming Academic Year 2021-2022, the CHED issued “The Interim Guidelines as to the Timeline on the Processing of Applications to Increase Tuition and Other School Fees for AY 2021-2022” which merely adjusts the timeline that educational institutions must follow should they intend to raise fees.

Stopping the increases in tuition and other school fees is long overdue, the lawmakers said, because of the skyrocketing cost of education due to decades-long policies of deregulation and commercialization.

“Apart from our call to swiftly release sufficient cash aid to families amid the pandemic, a tuition moratorium is necessary to give the people, especially the parents and students, a much-needed respite as they strive to meet their day-to-day needs while ensuring learning continuity,” they further said.

The Makabayan bloc is composed of Kabataan Partylist Rep. Sarah Elago; Bayan Muna Reps. Carlos Zarate, Ferdinand Gaite, and Eufemia Cullamat; ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro; and Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas.

EDV