Groups protest tuition hike

MANILA, Philippines - Militant student and youth groups yesterday trooped to the central office of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in Quezon City to protest the latest wave of tuition and other school fee increases that were approved by the agency.

Even as they pelted red paint at the gates of the commission, the protesters called on president-elect Rodrigo Duterte to stop the legacy of rising school fees that will be left by the Aquino administration.

“We are challenging president-elect Rodrigo Duterte to hold (President) Aquino and the present CHED officials accountable for the neo-liberal feat that ultimately pushes education further (towards) privatization, deregulation and commercialization,” said Kevin Castro of the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP).

“We are, to a great extent, hoping that president-elect Duterte will be one with the youth in championing the greater fight towards an educational system that is scientific, nationalist and mass-oriented,” Castro said.

Aside from NUSP, members of Kabataan party-list, Anakbayan and the League of Filipino Students (LFS) joined the protest yesterday in front of the CHED office.

On Thursday, CHED announced that it allowed 304 private universities and colleges to raise tuition and other school fees for the incoming school year.

It said the average increase in tuition is 5.10 percent or P43.39, while increase in other school fees is 5.41 percent or P115.58 per semester.

“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 chairperson Patricia Licuanan.          

“For its part, CHED ensures that higher education institutions meet the guidelines provided by law, especially the requirement of consultation, the proper allocation of tuition and strict adherence with the processes that seek to make tuition and other school fee increases transparent, reasonable and affordable,” she said.

The protesters stressed that the policy of the Aquino administration with regard to education has always been anti-student, as proven by the rising costs of tuition and other fees in the past six years. – With Paolo Romero, Jess Diaz