20 CV schools seek tuition hike

CEBU, Philippines - At least 20 private higher edu-cation institutions (HEIs) in Central Visayas are increasing fees for school year 2014 to 2015.

Melissa Castillote, Commission on Higher Education-7 supervisor and school fees hike application in-charge, said the schools include some Cebu City colleges.

As a matter of policy, how-ever, Castillote declined to divulge the school’s names because their respective applications are still pending.

“It is confidential. As of now, that’s the only information we can provide, no names of applicants,” she said.

Castillote said the schools that applied requested for an increase of less than 10 percent.

“Naay uban ni (There are those that) ask og (an) increase sa ilang tuition fees, miscellaneous fees and new school fees,” she added.

It can be recalled that for 2012 to 2013, there were 451(27 percent) of the 1,683 private HEIs nationwide that applied for an increase in tuition and other school fees.

Of all the schools, 354 (21 percent) requested to have their petitions approved by CHED. Last year, 28 of Region VII’s 126 private HEIs submitted letters of intent to increase their respective tuition and other school fees, but only 21 did.

The average increase was 8.5 percent for tuition and 10.17 percent for other school fees.

According to CHED, the nationwide average tuition increase per unit for school year 2013 to 2014 was P37.45 or 8.5 percent, which was the lowest in the past 10 years.

Section 42 of Batas Pambansa Blg. 232, or the Education Act of 1982, stipulates that “Each private school shall determine its rate of tuition and other school fees or charges… subject to rules and regulations promulgated by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports” (now Department of Education, Technical Education Skills Development Authority and CHED).

Other legal provisions designed to regulate tuition and other fees lie include Republic Act 6728, or the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act, and regulations such as CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) 13, Series of 1998.

CMO 3, Series of 2012, on the other hand, requires that for every incremental tuition increase, HEIs allocate 70 percent for payment of salaries, wages, allowances and other benefits of teaching and non-teaching personnel.

It also stipulates that 20 percent of the increase is set aside for improvement and/or acquisition of facilities, or modernization of buildings, equipment, libraries, laboratories and other similar facilities and the payment of other costs of operation.

The remaining 10 percent, on the other hand, is for the return on investment of HEIs, if they are stock corporations, or for their operations if they are not.—/RHM (FREEMAN)