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By Prince Golez, Manila Reporter
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MANILA – Sen. Paolo Benigo “Bam” Aquino IV was “hopeful” the bill providing free education to all students enrolled in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) will be passed this year.
“I am confident that we can get this done within a year,” Aquino said.
His Senate Bill No. 177, or the Free Higher Education for All Act seeks to exempt “all Filipino citizens” from paying tuition fees if admitted to any undergraduate degree offered by public tertiary institutions.
Aquino said that his committee will hold several technical working groups to consolidate the different measures pushing for free college education.
“Mahalaga na mabigyan ng tulong ang ating mahihirap na estudyante sa SUC. Marami sa amin ang talagang tinutulak ito,” he said.
The chief of the Committee on Education also said he will make sure that unprivileged Filipino students will get the quality education they deserve.
“We have to ensure quality as well as access. Kung itutulak mo (ang free tuition fee) plus magsabay ka ng intervention sa kalidad, mas gaganda ang quality ng SUCs,” the senator said.
Meanwhile, the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations opposed plans to grant public school students free tuition.
The proposal would encourage students in private schools to transfer to state universities and colleges, the group said.
This, they added, may have an “adverse financial impact” on private higher education institutions (HEIs).
Aquino said some private HEIs will be in danger of dying out if they don’t improve quality of education.
“They will also have to adjust. They will also have to find their place in the scheme of things,” he ended./PN
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