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By James Konstantin Galvez, Reporter
Commission on Higher
Education-National Capital Region Director
Amelia Biglete said the agency will still decide on whether it will
allow private school’s petition for tuition increase on May 15.
Biglete said that she will submit
the report on May 15 regarding the application of private schools in
Metro Manila, adding that it is the duty of the CHED Central Office
to announce the result of the report.
Earlier, CHED deputy executive
director Julito Vitriolo projected that there will be only eight to
ten percent increase in tuition fees despite the lifting of CHED
Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 14.
Vitriolo also said that CHED is
anticipating a small number of schools, roughly a measly 20 percent
of the total number of public and private colleges and university
that would be asking for tuition hike.
Meanwhile, around 53 private
elementary schools in the National Capital Region (NCR) have already
filed their application for tuition fee increase this school year,
the Department of Education-National Capital Region (DepEd-NCR)
said.
The DepEd-NCR also disclosed that
tuition fee increase may range from 2 percent to 10 percent. The
deadline for the submission of the petition is on May 15.
DepEd stressed that schools
seeking tuition fee increase should ensure that the application for
tuition hike must comply with DepEd guidelines and regulations, and
that the greater part of the increase would go to the upgrading of
schools equipment and facilities, not as salaries of the teachers.
Schools that have already filed
their petition included the Saint Theresa College that seeks an
increase of 5 percent; Saint Joseph College (10 percent); Trinity
University of Asia (8 percent); and Ateneo de Manila, 6 percent.
In Manila, the Malate Catholic
School is asking for an 11 percent hike, followed by the University
of the East and Letran de Manila, both seeking a 10 percent
increase.
Other private elementary schools
with tuition hikes included the Immaculate Concepcion Academy (5
percent); Aquinas School (9 percent) and Dominican School (10
percent) in the cities of Pasig and San Juan; and Jose Rizal College
and Lourdes School (8 percent) in Mandaluyong City.
Meanwhile, the youth group
Kabataang Pinoy Party (KPP) condemned proposed increases in tuition
and other fees of schools at a time when the country is experiencing
food and economic crisis.
“This shows the insensitivity
of school owners to the economic situation of their students and
their families, said KPP National President Dion Cerrafon.
KPP slammed increases in other
school fees. Other fees such as miscellaneous fee, electric fee,
Internet fees and the like are not included in the basic tuition.
Schools may increase these other fees without the approval of DepEd
or CHED.
“High tuition combined with
other fee increases is just downright immoral,” stated Cerrafon.
DepED and CHED recently admitted
that the high expenses of education has decreased enrollment
throughout the years. This June, they expect further decline in
enrollment in private schools and an exodus to public schools.
Kabatang Pinoy predicts a sharp increase in the number of drop outs
or Out-of-School Youth.
“Families barely can afford to
eat three complete meals in a day, much less to send their children
to school. With these impending increases, parents just can’t
afford to send their children to school anymore,” lamented
Cerrafon.
“The youth sees education as
something vital to improve their families’ standard of living. Fee
increases push away this dream for thousands of youth throughout the
country. Is this the kind of message educators want to send their
students?”
“We challenge the schools
especially those run by religious groups to voluntarily desist
implementation of their proposed tuition increases as their moral
obligation to the poor.”
The youth group fears there is a
school cartel operating in the country dictating tuition rates and
influencing government policies on tuition.
“We challenge the profit
oriented schools to set aside interest for profit even for
humanitarian purposes, if only for this year.”
The party is calling for the
Arroyo administration to be more aggressive in making education
accessible to the youth. Kabataang Pinoy is calling for a tuition
moratorium from Malacañang.
A few years back, President
Gloria Arroyo ordered a tuition moratorium in state colleges and
universities.
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