A MILITANT lawmaker representing the youth sector blasted the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) for allowing 313 schools nationwide to increase their tuition and other fees.
Kabataan Rep. Terry Ridon said that the Ched did not uphold its mandate in providing affordable tuition to Filipino students.
“CHED Chair Patricia Licuanan sounded apologetic in her pronouncement today that 313 higher education institutions will again increase tuition and other school fees this academic year. Yet no amount of apology can dilute the fact that CHED has once again betrayed its constitutional mandate to ensure the affordability and accessibility of education,” Ridon said.
On Tuesday, Ched approve the application of 313 schools to increase their tuition, which is more than the 287 applications it approved in 2014.
The commission said that an average increase of P29.86 or 6.17 percent per unit is expected in tuition, while miscellaneous fees are seen to increase by 6.55 percent or P135.60.
Ridon said that the tuition increase for the coming school year is “over and beyond” to the inflation rate in the country which is pegged at two to four percent.
“Whichever way you look at these new fee hikes, we will all arrive at the same conclusion: that they are all unjustified, exorbitant, and pose a huge burden for many Filipino families come enrollment time” the lawmaker said.
Using figures from Ched, Ridon estimated that a student with a regular load of 21 units per semester would have to pay an additional P1,525.32 per year, while a student in the National Capital Region will need to pay an additional P1,427.42 per year in tuition and other school fees.
A total of 283 higher educational institutions will increase tuition, while 212 are set to increase other school fees. AC