Central Visayas schools ask for 8%-40% tuition hike

PARENTS who send their children to private schools will have to brace for steeper tuition this school year.

Dr. Marcial Degamo, Chief of the Quality Assurance and Accoutability Division in Department of Education (DepEd), said 40 private schools in Central Visayas are applying for tuition increase ranging from eight to 15 percent.

“The number of schools is expected to rise because our deadline for the application of tuition increase will be on May 15,” Degamo said in a phone interview.

Degamo said they will release the list of schools next month. He said they are still busy preparing for the Palaro event in Negros Oriental.

Requirements for tuition increase application include a letter of intent and papers showing consultation done with the parents.

Degamo said he will recommend the approval of tuition increase to DepEd regional director Carmelita Dulangon.

Among the grounds cited for a tuition increase are the salary increases for the teachers and improvement of school facilities.

Degamo said he warned schools that they may experience a drop in enrollment but they said they have to sustain their operations and raise the salaries of their teachers.

Aaron Pedrosa, secretatry-general of Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) in Cebu said the tuition increase is yet another blow to students and parents alike.

Students in various Cebu schools gave mixed reactions on news of a tuition increase this coming school year, with the Supreme Student Council of the University of San Jose – Recolletos planning a prayer vigil.

“To those wanting quality education, it should be kept affordable and adhere to Christian values,” said John Lester Lastimosa, USJ-R Supreme Student Council president.

The school administration sought a 12 percent increase to cope with existing industry rates for teachers.

Lastimosa said 12 percent is too high since it’s twice the increase charged to students last year.

Team PNoy senatorial candidate Edgardo “Sonny” Angara called on both Ched and the Department of Education (DepEd) to address the plight of teachers displaced by the implementation of the K to 12 programs.

“The changes to the curriculum are welcome but the welfare of our teachers must not be disregarded amid these changes,” he said during yesterday’s rally at the Capitol grounds in Cebu City. With Correspondents Renan Alangilan and Michelle Joy L. Padayhag