Baguio, BenguetCstudes to CHED: Probe illegal school tuition, fees

Complaint filed 

By Marben Panlasigui

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- Students from Baguio and Benguet led by the local chapters of National Union of Students of the Philippines and College Editors Guild of the Philippines filed a complaint with the regional Commission on Higher Education last week against tuition hike and “illegally collected fees.”

They also urged the CHED to investigate where past collections of other fees went since schools failed to explain these.

Students also pressed the Commission to order school administrations to refund all developmental fees and other fees with similar nature that they illegally collected for academic year 2013-2014.

“This demand is in accordance of the CHEd en banc Resolution No. 221-2012 back in August 2012 which states that all development fees, or fees collected for the purpose of school improvements such as infrastructure and land development shall be abolished and prohibited from collection,” the said in their complaint.

“This resolution is effective for the AY 2013-2014. Refund of these illegally collected fees will provide substantial relief to the students and parents especially at a time when tuition and other fees continue to rise incessantly.  

“Time and again, private schools and universities need not increase tuition this year or the next. Their financial reports reflect a minimum of 100 million in profit every year, and yet we have documented several complaints regarding dilapidated and inadequate facilities and services. Here, we can see that fees collected every semester were not all spent in improving facilities and delivering quality services to students,” said MarbenPanlasigui of NUSP Baguio-Benguet.

In the complaint, students assailed ladderized tuition scheme implemented at Saint Louis University which proposed a 10% increase on tuition of incoming freshmen.

This scheme according to Panlasigui has been  used and abused by private schools and universities to go around CHED memo. 3 and increase profit.

Article 2 section 3 of the memo stated private schools can impose tuition increases on incoming freshmen as long as they post these at conspicuous places on campus.

The ladderized tuition scheme does not require consultation and therefore goes around other regulatory measures of the commission, they said.

Another part in the complaint was the “continuous illegal collection of other school fees.”

Arthur Astaquinta of CEGP Baguio-Benguet said “tuition is defined as a fee covering costs for improving facilities, buildings and other expenses. Yet PHEI’s in Baguio and Benguet has been collecting fees that are supposed to fund those mentioned above ranging from dubious ones named other fees, other charges, miscellaneous fees, redundant which are fees that are similar in purpose like sports fees, athletic fees, CARAA and exorbitant fees that are unjustifiably high .”

 Students demanded that CHED stop and actively intervene in the yearly increases on tuition particularly yearly tuition hike on incoming freshmen and to be impartial on their investigation and decision.  

The said the Commission should put a stop to so-called Other Fees/Miscellaneous Fees/Additional charges since these fees are dubious and these are not accounted.

“The category needs to be declared illegal and schools found out to be implementing such be heavily sanctioned.”

Astaquinta adds “we take this opportunity to present our issues and work with the commission in realizing every Filipino child’s right to quality and affordable education.” He calls for all students to troop to CHED on March 11 for another round of dialogue on school concerns.