More state subsidy sought for poor students

Students at the University of the Philippines in Manila cover the Oblation statue with black cloth to protest the school’s “no-late-payment” tuition policy and the death of Kristel Tejada (inset). Several senatorial candidates are calling for more state subsidy for poor students following the suicide of Tejada who could not pay her tuition. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA/FACEBOOK PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Several senatorial candidates are calling for more state subsidy for poor students following the suicide of University of the Philippines Manila freshman Kristel Tejada who could not pay her tuition.

While saddened by the suicide of Tejada, Malacañang on Tuesday said the government had not been “remiss” in its duty to provide an ample budget for state universities and colleges (SUCs).

“This is an unfortunate incident which dealt with the internal policy of the UP school system,” Secretary Edwin Lacierda, presidential spokesman, said in a Malacañang briefing.

Makabayan coalition candidate Teddy Casiño urged the Aquino administration to reinstate the P17 billion slashed last year from the budget proposal of SUCs and to incorporate that amount in the 2014 budget.

The amount was slashed by the Department of Budget and Management from the original proposal of SUCs last year, he said. “The P17 billion must be on top of other additional allotments to cover the needs of the SUCs,” Casiño said in a statement.

Expressing sadness over the death of Tejada, Casiño, a three-time Bayan Muna representative, protested the school’s forced leave-of-absence policy.

University of the Privileged

“Even if they say they have reversed that policy, it’s too late … I never thought my beloved UP would become a University of the Privileged. But it seems that is what is happening,” he said.

“Before, UP was known for assisting ‘poor but deserving’ students. Now, at UP Diliman alone, less than 10 percent, or around 400 students, do not pay tuition. That’s a historical low, they say,” Casiño said.

Citing figures from UP’s student organ, Philippine Collegian, he said only 2 percent, or 74 students, were granted free tuition and stipend, while only 8 percent, or 323 students, were granted free tuition with no stipend

Casiño reiterated his call during the budget deliberations last year to reinstate the P54 billion requested by the 110 SUCs for 2013.

“Of the P37.1 billion allocated to SUCs, only P6 billion will go to operations and P3 billion to facilities and equipment. This is ridiculously small considering that it will be divided among 110 schools servicing more than two million students,” Casiño said.

He further cited data from the Congressional Planning and Budget Research Department showing that the SUC share in the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country declined from 0.41 percent in 1991 to 0.29 percent in 2013. In that time, the number of SUCs increased from 81 to 110, he said.

“Our spending per student has also been halved in real terms from P32,620 in 1997 to P16,416 in 2009,” Casiño said.

Aurora Rep. Sonny Angara said on Monday that a higher government subsidy for education must be pushed so more poor students could be accommodated in the country’s public tertiary schools.

Angara, chairman of the House committee on higher and technical education, said Tejada’s death should be a wake-up call for the government to review its priorities on basic services and for SUCs to revisit their policies.

“I hope that [Tejada’s] death will not be senseless, but galvanize us more,” he said.

Angara, who is running for senator under the administration Team PNoy, said public spending on education in the country represented just 2 percent of the country’s GDP, below the 6-percent requirement of the United Nations.

CCT for scholarships

Angara proposed three policy reforms to help the poor get college education. These include using the government’s conditional cash transfer program to fund one college scholarship from each “deserving” poor family; expanding the government’s study-now-pay-later program and allowing students to take exams through promissory notes.

Former Sen. Ernesto Maceda, who is running for senator under the United Nationalist Alliance, said the government should support poor students who want to finish college.

“A student should not be stopped from pursuing his or her education, and the Commission on Higher Education and SUCs should review their policies [in helping poor students],” Maceda said in a press forum in Baguio City on Sunday.

Sen. Loren Legarda called for a review of policies of educational institutions, especially SUCs, which she said were “supposed to prioritize students who are most unable to pay for tuition.”

“It would not be a big dent on the government’s education budget if college scholarships are given to the poorest of the poor since SUCs are already in place and have their regular annual appropriations from the national government,” said Legarda, who is running for reelection under Team PNoy.

Offer to guarantee loans

In Pampanga, Emmanuel Angeles, former chairman of the Commission on Higher Education, offered to guarantee study loans and other arrangements that qualified students were seeking so they could finish college.

“I can be their guarantor. I will guarantee their education, whether they want to be working students, study on scholarships or loans, take the study-now-pay-later program,” Angeles told the Inquirer on Sunday.

Angeles said he felt bad about the decision of Tejada, a daughter of a taxi driver, to take her life over her family’s inability to pay tuition. “Had I known about her problem I could have offered to help,” he said.—Reports from TJ Burgonio, DJ Yap, Marlon Ramos and Cathy C. Yamsuan in Manila; Desiree Caluza, Inquirer Northern Luzon; and Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon