Student groups assail Aquino Ched, schools on tuition hikes

Cordillera signature campaign on 

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Student groups in the Cordillera assailed rising school tuition and sent their complaints Friday to central office of Commission on Higher Education against tuition hike and illegally collected fees, saying these were “anti-education,” driving parents to indebtedness and even forcing students to commit suicide for not being able to pay high fees.

Groups which included students from Baguio and Benguet led by the local chapters of National Union of Students of the Philippines, College Editors Guild of the Philippines and Rise for Education Alliance started signature campaigns all over the region to drum up support to their cause.

Saint Louis University students in Baguio also gathered almost 3,000 signatures last week in a petition to stop tuition increase, junk all other school fees and immediately improve school facilities. SLU is reportedly the biggest school with most number of college students in Cordillera.

“The Commission on Higher Education has the mandate to regulate tuition increases,” said Marben Panlasigui of NUSP Baguio-Benguet. The Cordillera regional CHED office is located in this capital town, considered the “Salad bowl of the Philippines.”

“They are the ones who are responsible for monitoring consultation, checking and counter checking tuition proposals, and even approving tuition proposals. If there’s a body who can do what must be done, its CHED. It is not a question of the limitations of the regional or national office. Indeed, if there’s a will, there’s a way, that applies to regulating tuition and other fees.”

Panlasigui said they passed complaints and tried to seek dialogue in the regional office of CHED with the latter saying “their hands are tied and that the complaints must be directed to the CHED national office.”

“We have painstakingly documented and presented our complaints to the Commission. Yet they remain apathetic to our demands. We remind them that we are part of the taxpayer’s that contribute to their salaries,” Panlasigui said.

In the complaints filed with CHED, students slammed “five to 10 percent 5-10 percent tuition increase in the region, exorbitant/redundant/dubious miscellaneous fees and dilapidated facilities. This year, one will need a 5,000-25,000 to send a child to school, not including other expenses such as housing, food, transportation etc. This requirement alone pushes families to more debt and kicks more young people out of school every year” Panlasigui said.

She added President Aquino’s implementation of the Education Act of 1982 ensured schools can raise tuition and other fees yearly with impunity.

“The law as well as other anti-youth policies ensures the deregulated status of Philippine education, with costs skyrocketing every year,” she added.

“Indeed, Aquino and the CHED are liable for this situation. By doing nothing to hamper increases and make school administrators accountable, they are pushing students to desperation and even death.”

Even in Cordillera provinces where state of education is worse, both private and public schools reportedly continue to collect fees and provide lousy services to students.

Arthur Astaquinta, chairperson of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines Baguio-Benguet cited Abra Valley Colleges as among those that sought to increase tuition next year.

Meanwhile, students from KalingaApayao State College protested “illegal collection of development fee” in their school which amounts to P250 each student.

The complaint has gathered 2,000 signatures from KASC students demanding the school to stop collection of development fee.

We are not naïve that we can’t see what the CHED is doing by pinpointing their fingers at each other,” Astaquinta said. “As students, we are asking for support of parents, teachers and the whole community in this fight for quality and affordable education.”