[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 heading=’Free?’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’18’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
EDITORIAL
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
February 20, 2018
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=’18’ font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
JUST how free is the so-called free higher education (read: no tuition fee) program of the government in public tertiary schools? A nationwide student union has accused the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) of “further complicating” the program’s implementation.
The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP), the country’s broadest alliance of student councils, claimed that CHED is spoiling the intended objectives of free education by “tampering” the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the free education law. The IRR is scheduled for release this Feb. 22.
If the union were to be believed, CHED is making its own problem by devising a complex mechanism of implementation when in fact it can just make education free. No exceptions, no reservations.
NUSP claimed the free education law and the draft IRR did not explicitly abolish the collection of tuition and other school fees (TOSF) in state universities and colleges (SUCs). If true, this allows SUCs to maneuver their way to TOSF collection.
It appears that what makes this free education law difficult in terms of execution is CHED’s hesitation to provide free education for everybody. When we say universal access, TOSF should be scrapped, no exclusions and no questions asked. Or so the NUSP argued.
A polytechnic university’s miscellaneous fees amounting P2,000 to P4,000 are still collected from students, according to the group, and despite the existing free tuition program, freshmen were still charged tuition fees. The union also gathered that some students of the University of the Philippines were forced to opt out of the policy and had to pay tuition even though they were qualified for free tuition. How true is this?
Students theorize that CHED, to accommodate the desires of private schools, willingly creates another wave of headaches as it implements free education. The planned voucher system for college students and the student loan program will simply ensure the private sector’s share of students’ and public funds.
NUSP’s allegations against CHED are not surprising. The Commission has long been perceived as biased towards private higher educational institutions. It appears to share the phobia of private schools on the huge possibility of an exodus of students from private schools to public schools due to the free education law.
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
