Ban sought vs no tuition, no exam school policies

DAVAO CITY—A militant youth group has urged the Senate to act swiftly on a bill that makes it a criminal act for schools to prevent students from taking exams for failure to pay tuition on time.

Cherry Orendain, spokesperson of the group Anakbayan for southern Mindanao, said swift action on the bill is needed as millions of students prepare to return to school next month.

House Bill No. 6799 was filed by Kabataan Rep. Mong Palatino. It had passed the House and is awaiting action by the Senate.

Orendain said her group was hoping that senators will spend time on the bill last May 17 but it was “shelved indefinitely” for the trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Orendain said the proposed legislation was important because it could ease the financial burden of parents, who are already suffering from unabated increases in tuition and costs of basic commodities.

She said this year alone, the Commission on Higher Education approved tuition increases for 256 universities all over the country, 22 of them in Davao City.

Poor families trying to send their children to school also have to deal with higher fuel prices, she said.

“It will give students and parents a little break,” Orendain said.

She said her group also continues to fight for increased budget for and equal access to education.

“We are disappointed to hear education officials in the region treating education as a commodity and telling students they had to pay if they want quality education,” Orendain said.

“Education is supposed to be a right provided by the Constitution,” she said.

Pilar Barredo, secretary general of Association of Concerned Teachers in Davao region, said a multisectoral group called Ugnayan ng Mamamayan para sa Karapatan sa Edukasyon will launch a series of protests starting May 28 against continuing increases in tuition and demand an increase in the national budget for education. Germelina Lacorte, Inquirer Mindanao