Rules for free tuition policy completed, says Ched

Commission on Higher Education (Ched) chief Patricia Licuanan. PHOTO FROM CHED’S FACEBOOK ACCOUNT

The implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the tuition-free schooling in state colleges and universities (SUCs) this year have already been completed and ready for submission to the Department of Budget and Management, the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) said on Tuesday.

The IRR, which is expected to be signed in February, will be reviewed by the DBM. After signing, SUCs would submit to Ched the operating budget required by law, and the appropriate payments shall be given in advance for the upcoming academic year.

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Senators have successfully allocated an additional P8.3 billion fund for Ched in the P3.35-trillion 2017 national budget to fund the tuition of all students in 114 SUCs in the country.

The IRR was formulated by a task force composed of representatives from Ched, DBM, the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC), Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA), and staff from the Senate and the House of Representatives.

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Ched chair Patricia Licuanan said her agency will work closely with the budget department to ensure that the fund will benefit the “financially disadvantaged but academically able students,” as directed by President Rodrigo Duterte.

“We will conduct a comprehensive information campaign soon after to ensure that deserving students have the chance to benefit from this game-changing policy in higher education,” Licuanan said. JE/rga