Student body sets up tuition monitor

MANILA, Philippines—As students face a fresh wave of tuition hikes in the coming school year, a youth group has established a monitoring desk while continuing to press for stronger state regulation on school fee increases.

The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) launched this week a Tuition Monitor to keep an eye on unjustified tuition hikes and ensure that consultations on school fees indeed consider the students’ voice.

NUSP said students, parents and other concerned individuals may call in or post complaints against schools imposing questionable increases  in tuition and other fees or those that fail to consult with students.

Complaints may be sent via e-mail at [email protected], or posted on the Facebook page NUSP Tuition Monitor or through mobile number 0915 629 3896.  Reports may also be filed through landline telephone number 02 352 1054.

The group also called on the Commission on Higher Education to be more stringent in guarding  against  unnecessary hikes in tuition and miscellaneous fees.

“Right now, students need to be protected from money-making schemes that certain profit-oriented schools are creating. CHEd is in the perfect position to do just that by not allowing schools to raise fees. It’s time this agency does its job,” said NUSP Secretary-General Isabelle Baguisi.

“Although there have been yearly complaints and reports about dubious fee increases and questionable consultations, no school has ever been punished for it. CHEd has been letting anomalous tuition increase applications just slide,” added Baguisi.

CHEd regulations require schools to hold consultations with students when they seek hikes in tuition, which need CHEd approval.

CHEd is set to implement revised fee hike guidelines by school year 2013-2014 to also regulate increases in miscellaneous fees.

To date, some 300 colleges and universities have sought  CHEd approval for tuition increases for school year 2012-2013.   There are more than 2,000 public and private colleges and universities in the country.

CHEd Chair Patricia Licuanan recently conceded that many schools merely operate for profit and fail to comply with state guidelines on tuition.