CHED OKs Tuition Hike for 304 Private HEIs

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has approved the applications of 304 private higher education institutions (HEIs) to increase their tuition and other school fees for Academic Year (AY) 2016-2017.

In a statement released on Thursday, CHED chairperson Patricia Licuanan said the average nationwide increase for tuition is at 5.10 percent or PHP43.39 per unit, while increase for other school fees is at 5.41 percent or PHP115.58.

280, or only 17 percent, of the total 1,659 private HEIs nationwide will increase tuition. 252, or 15 percent, of private HEIs will increase other school fees this year.

“Considering the total population of private HEIs, the average increase in tuition or other school fees is less than 1 percent. These increases vary depending on the HEI and the region,” said Licuanan.

The regions with the highest number of HEIs are the National Capital Region (NCR), Region IV-A, and Region III. CHED approved an average tuition increase of PHP68.44 per unit for NCR, PHP33.41 per unit for Region III, and PHP23.39 per unit for Region IV-A.

For other school fees, the increases are PHP57.52 for NCR, PHP138.36 for Region IV-A, and PHP487.71 for Region III.

Licuanan said CHED ensured that HEIs has met “the guidelines provided by law, especially the requirement of consultation, the proper allocation of tuition fees, and strict adherence with the processes that seek to make tuition and other school fee increases transparent, reasonable and affordable.”

The chairperson stressed that bulk or 70 percent of the tuition increase will be allocated for the teachers’ salary.

“CHED’s approach to the issue of tuition is holistic. In the light of contending concerns and interests in society, there is a need to balance access issues with sustainability of educational institutions,” said Licuanan.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education has approved the tuition fee increase of 1,232, or 10 percent, of the total 12,072 private elementary secondary schools nationwide.

According to DepEd, of the more than 24 million elementary and high school students in the country, only 12.2 percent are enrolled in private schools while the remaining 87.8 percent study in public schools. (PNA) BNB/FMC