Students, teachers, tackle for June 19 National Education Summit

Students, teachers, and education advocates gathered and held a press conference to discuss the persistent issues and problems in the country’s education system.

“Despite the passage of Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, the fundamental problems in the country’s system remain. Thus, the fight for free, accessible, and quality education continues,” said Rise for Education National Convenor Mark Vincent Lim.

Rise for Education is a nationwide and multi-sectoral alliance of different student councils and publications from high schools and universities, youth organizations, members of the academe, parents, out-of-school youth, and citizens from all walks of life calling for quality education that is free and accessible to all.

“Free education means not a single peso should be collected from students. A ‘no collection policy’ must be in place. However, obtaining funds from students in support of campus press and representation through their duly-elected councils, must continue,” said Kabataan Party-list Deputy Secretary-General Angelica Reyes.

“Free education should also be implemented without delays and preconditions. Budgetary support for the immediate roll out of ‘free education, no collection’ in all public tertiary education institutions should be given without delay. In addition, the Return Service System, embedded in Republic Act 10931’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR) as an additional requirement for free education, must be scrapped, as it undermines the right to education. Instead of ‘forced labor’ disguised as civic obligation, public tertiary schools should democratically create a blueprint to urge and empower students to serve the people and nation,” said Reyes.

“Another round of tuition and other school fees hikes is looming. This year, we are expecting that around 400 schools shall have tuition hikes at a rate of 6-10 percent. It is as if this has been the way of private schools in welcoming the youth back to school,” said National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) Deputy Secretary-General Kenji Muramatsu.

According to the Union, adding to the burden to the tuition and other schools fees (TOSF) increase is the increase in prices due to the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law.

“The TOSF hike is as alarming as how prices went up after the TRAIN Law has been implemented. From their tuition and other school fees, to their necessities in school such as school supplies, books, and food, the added cost of their education makes the burden even heavier. It is indeed a double-whammy towards the students and their parents,” Muramatsu claimed.

The student union also lambasted the current administration’s “apparent bias” towards private higher education institutions (HEIs). “CHED and Duterte fail miserably in protecting the rights of students to education. They are even the ones who push students to study in private HEIs, while they allow the non-stop increase in TOSF for the profits of capitalist-educators,” Muramatsu ended.

Mark Vincent D. Lim

National Convenor

Rise for Education Alliance