EDITORIAL

Review of Education Act needed to lessen tuition hikes

The country is reeling from economic crisis and whether the government admits it or not, the education sector is one of those most affected. It is for this reason that there is need to review the Education Act of 1982 which is the basis of schools in increasing tuition and other school fees.

According to the act, of the fees collected, 70 percent of fees would be appropriated for salaries and wages, 20 percent for improvement of school facilities and 10 percent as return of investment for investors.

High tuition had prompted students representing different student councils, college papers and organizations to appeal to the Commission on Higher Education for moratorium on impending increase of tuition and other school fees.

Students recently wrote Emmanuel Angeles, higher Education chairman, there is growing competition among basic family needs and the need for education is getting eased out”. Signatories were National Union of Students of the Philippines, College Editors Guild of the Philippines , League of Filipino Students, Anakbayan, Kabataang Artista para sa Tunay na Kalayaan and the Yound Defenders.“Beside the economic hardship as our primary basis for the appeal, the fact that we had been witness to gross violations of our democratic right to participate in student consultations is glaringly noticeable”, they said. “In many cases, consultations had been manipulated as one-sided information dissemination campaigns where student attempts to raise questions are undemocratically dismissed or manhandled.”

The students said five schools in Baguio plan to increase their tuition, with an average of six percent to ten percent, or an average of around twenty pesos per academic unit. Dr. Virginia Akiate, Ched Cordillera assistant regional director said, the commission, through its regional director, Freddie Bernal the past weeks had been personally visiting presidents of the 38 colleges and universities in Baguio city appealing to them not to increase their tuition and other school fees amidst the global economic crisis.

Earlier, House Speaker Prospero Nograles urged private and state-owned schools, universities and colleges to set aside any plan to increase tuition fees and other school fees. Nograles said the House of Representatives can assert its oversight powers to demand justification from schools which will insist on increasing their tuition and other school fees. What the Lower House could do is review laws related to education and come up with measures so tuition imposed particularly by private schools could be lessened to reasonable levels.