[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading tag=’h3′ padding=’10’ heading=’‘Disarray’ in CHED won’t hinder free tuition in SUCs’ color=” style=’blockquote modern-quote’ custom_font=” size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ custom_class=”]
By Prince Golez, Manila Reporter
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
MANILA – The present “disarray” in the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) organization will not affect the free tuition policy in state colleges and universities (SUCs), said Senate minority leader Ralph Recto.
Congress has approved the additional allocation of P8 billion in the budget of CHED for 2017.
The amount will fund the basic matriculation of close to 1 million students enrolled in SUCs.
“Kahit walang chairman, may chairman, o nag-aaway sila, hindi maapektuhan ang programang ito,” Recto said.
Malacañang earlier asked CHED chairperson Patricia Licuanan not to attend Cabinet meetings. In August, Licuanan was also ordered to vacate her post when President Rodrigo Duterte issued a memorandum urging appointees of former President Benigno Aquino IV to tender their resignation.
The senator also allayed fears of a possible presidential veto of the 2017 general appropriations bill. According to him, all presidential candidates in the last election, including Duterte, vowed that tuition in state colleges will be free.
Recto explained that the P8 billion “Higher Education Support Fund” will go to 114 SUCs based on the amount of tuition each school is expected to collect next year.
The proposed free tuition fund will not cover other school expenses such as dormitory use and laboratory fees, he clarified.
Beneficiaries of tuition-free education are students belonging to families from the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
