CHED vows proper implementation of free tuition policy

MANILA, Philippines -  Commission of Higher Education (CHED) chair Patricia Licuanan has assured the public of the orderly implementation of the free tuition policy in state universities and colleges (SUCs) for the coming school year.

“As we implement free tuition policy this 2017, we are being guided by the original intention of the legislators and the President’s directive to prioritize financially disadvantaged but academically able students,” Licuanan said.

“We will do our best to ensure that the fund goes to as many as possible and to those who need it most,” she added.

The CHED and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) released last week the implementing guidelines on the utilization of the budget, which was included in the 2017 budget under the Higher Education Support Fund (HESF).

The free tuition program will cover all Filipino students enrolling in undergraduate course programs in SUCs for the academic year 2017-2018, subject to the prioritization directive of the President and the availability of funds in the HESF.

The guidelines include a breakdown of the budget allocation per school, with the ceiling based on the estimated tuition income stated in the budget of expenditures and sources of financing that the schools submitted to the DBM.

A prioritization system based on household income was devised by CHED and the DBM to manage the limitations set by the P8-billion budget.

Beneficiaries of government student financial assistance programs (StuFAPs) will be given priority by their respective SUCs. 

The tuition of those receiving more than P15,000 in benefits will still be charged against their StuFAP allocations, while the tuition of student beneficiaries who are getting P15,000 or less will be charged from the SUCs’ free tuition allocation.

After all StuFAP beneficiaries have been given slots, continuing students in their respective SUCs are next in line for available slots.

They will be further prioritized according to the following order, subject to the availability of funding: graduating students (regardless of household per capita income), non-graduating students who belong to a household that is or was a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, non-graduating students belonging to the Listahan 2.0 of the Social Welfare Department, and other students ranked per capita household income.

If there are still funds available, incoming freshmen and returning students who are not receiving more than P15,000 in benefits from any StuFAP will also be eligible for the free tuition program in a similar order.

All SUCs should assess the eligibility of students as early as four weeks before the enrolment period.

Students are required to submit documents including identification cards, completed registration forms, household member cards for conditional cash transfer beneficiaries, and documentation of proof of income.

SUCs should release the ranking of the students before the start of the enrolment period.