More than 200 private higher education institutions (HEIs), or colleges and universities, will be implementing tuition increases this academic year.
In a statement issued to reporters yesterday, the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) has approved the application for tuition increase of 280 private colleges for academic year 2016 to 2017. The figure represents 17 percent of private colleges nationwide.
CHEd Chair Patricia Licuanan said 252 or 15 percent of the private colleges nationwide are increasing other school fees this year.
“Across the private HEIs with approved increases in either tuition or other school fees, the average increase in tuition is 5.10 percent or the equivalent of P43.39 per unit, while increase in other school fees is 5.41 percent or P115.58,” Licuanan said.
She said the increases vary depending on the school and the region.
For example, she said the average per unit increase in tuition is P68.44 or 5 percent for the National Capital Region, P23.39 or 3.2 percent for Region IV-A and P33.41 or 6.14 percent for Region III.
These regions, she said, have the highest number of colleges.
“For other school fees, the increases are P57.52 or 5.14 percent for NCR, P138.36 or 3.22 percent for Region IV-A and P487.71 or 5.28 percent for Region III,” Licuanan said.
“Considering the total population of private HEIs, the average increase in tuition or other school fees is less than one percent,” she said.
In approving the private colleges’ request to increase their tuition and school fees, Licuanan said the CHEd was guided by the following:
- The Education Act of 1982, which provides that “each private school shall determine its rate of tuition and other school fees or charges … subject to rules and regulations promulgated by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports,” now the Department of Education, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and CHEd;
- Republic Act No. 6728 or the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act, which requires colleges, for every incremental tuition increase, to allocate certain portions of such for the payment of salaries of teaching and nonteaching personnel, for the improvement of facilities, and for the return on investment if they are stock corporations;
- CHEd Memorandum Order No. 3, series of 2012, or the Enhanced Policies, Guidelines and Procedures Governing Increases in Tuition and Other School Fees, Introduction of New Fees, and for Other Purposes, which considers “regional inflation rate, financial standing of the institution, financial capacity of the general studentry, impact of force majeure or calamities, quality track record of the school and the mission and vision of the institution”; and
- The “education deflator,” which she said measures the “average cost of providing education services based on the regional inflation rate.”
‘Holistic’ approach
“CHEd’s approach to the issue of tuition is holistic. In the light of contending concerns and interests in society, there is a need to balance access issues with sustainability of educational institutions,” she said.
But the League of Filipino Students (LFS) slammed the CHEd’s decision, saying that the “relentless annual tuition increases must be stopped.”
“President Aquino is the tuition hike king. His legacy is the unabated, annual increases in tuition and other school fees that have pushed education cost to twice as much of its level in 2010,” LFS secretary general Aries Gupit said.
He said the tuition hikes have resulted in “increasing net revenues and profits” for the colleges.
In short, he said education was “turned into a profitable venture” at the students’ expense.
The LFS secretary general urged incoming President
Rodrigo Duterte to review all education policies, junk CHEd Memorandum No. 3 and Education Act of 1982, which allow relentless tuition increases.
He also asked Duterte to impose a tuition moratorium, junk other school fee increases and stop the implementation of the K-12 program.