CHEd: 300 colleges seek tuition hikes

At least 300 colleges and universities have sought permission from the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) to increase tuition in the coming school year.

CHEd Chairperson Patricia Licuanan said the list could still get longer upon the collation of all applications for tuition increases. The filing deadline was on February 28.

“There are some 300 that have requested, expressed their intent to raise tuition. The deadline for application was February 28 but usually we have exact figures by April,” Licuanan said in a joint press conference with youth groups Wednesday.

The initial figure remains close to the total 324 higher education institutions that implemented a 10-percent tuition increase last year, CHEd figures showed.

Licuanan said the CHEd was currently finalizing new guidelines tightening government’s grip over increases in school fees in response to a clamor from youth groups.

Delicate balance

“The CHEd is not happy with the present situation. We really feel the need for a more definitive framework governing tuition,” Licuanan said, adding that school fee regulation requires a delicate balance of student’s rights with education access and business viability.

She issued a new order, effective school year 2013-2014, requiring schools to hold consultations with students regarding not just the raising of tuition but also of miscellaneous fees.

The increase in miscellaneous fees is unregulated and has been used by schools to jack up enrollment prices.

The CHEd requires schools to divide proceeds from fee increases in the following manner: 70 percent to pay teachers and school staff, 20 percent to improve school infrastructure and 10 percent as “return on investment.”

Licuanan admitted that the CHEd had been hard-pressed in monitoring compliance of this rule.

“No, I don’t think all 2,000 schools are complying. Many schools are businesses,” Licuanan said.

Vencer Crisostomo, the chairman of youth group Anakbayan, criticized Licuanan’s memo as “flawed” and “useless.”

Originally posted at 06:53 pm | Wednesday,  February 29, 2012