Tuition fee hike hits students next school year

Demonstrators who are students led by the Kabataan partylist group and the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) trooped to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) head office in Metro Manila yesterday to protest against approval of the tuition fee increase proposed by colleges and universities in the country for the next academic school year.

Terry Ridon, president of Kabataan partylist said that the reason of their protest to the hike was based on the CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) 3, series of 2012, which allowed at least 451 colleges and universities to propose tuition hike.

The CHED memo said that all higher education institutions (HEIs) that plan to increase tuition and other fees for the next academic year should submit a proposal with necessary documents to CHED Regional Offices nationwide on or before April 1.

The memo also mandates that all schools which are planning to increase tuition must conduct consultations among students and other constituents until Feb. 28. Within 30 days after the consultation period, students can file complaints and grievances for proposed fee increases that did not undergo proper consultation.

According to Ridon, CHED had disclosed prior to the April 1 deadline, some 451 colleges and universities nationwide submitted tuition and other fee hike proposals for Academic Year 2013-2014, including 95 proposals in the National Capital Region and 38 proposals in Western Visayas. Only 64 in NCR jacked up tuition last year.

CHED Executive Director Julito Vitriolo, however, maintained that petitions for tuition hikes would not be approved without proper consultation with the students.

According to CHED, there are 451 of 2,247 HEIs nationwide including ARMM that are intending to increase their tuition and other school fees by this year.

Source: philstar.com, manilastandardtoday.com