Tuition hike halt urged
IN A BID to continue education, learning intuitions in Baguio City were asked to suspend tuition hikes.
Councilor Vladimir Cayabas asked private schools, universities, colleges, and other learning institutions to defer school fee increases for the ensuing school year 2020 – 2021 and likewise implores the Department of Education (DepEd), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to extend assistance to lowly private schools to prevent them from closure due to the impact of Covid – 19.
The resolution was made and approved by
the City Council during its regular session on Monday.
Cayabas said prior to the escalation of the pandemic in the Philippines, just like other learning institutions in other parts of the country, some private schools, colleges and universities situated in the locality already applied, complied and even earlier permitted to effect increase in their school fees, this ensuing academic year 2020-2021.
“However with the crisis that affects everyone especially the livelihood of our ordinary citizens like the sources of income of parents of students that any increase in school fees is not practical, humanitarian and logical at this time. Any upward adjustment of school fees may even increase the number of school drop outs and out of school youth within the locality which is highly detrimental to our city’s youth empowerment and human resource development program,” the alderman said.
Cayabas added to balance the cause, his resolution also urged
DepEd, TESDA, and CHED to promptly consider supporting these badly affected private schools based in the city through technical provision, man power training, subsidy, loan, or any other kind of assistance which the law may allow in order for these critically impacted learning institutions to survive amidst this crisis and to ensure their continued growth and operation to the best interest of the learning public.
“Survival or sustenance assistance to private schools will likewise be of great help to preempt possible mass layoff to teachers and other school personnel,” added Cayabas.
Weeks ago, DepEd Cordillera announced they have received closure intention from six schools in the region due to various reasons not related to the coronavirus.
Baguio City Schools Division Superintendent Marie Carolyn Verano said that for Baguio City, five schools have informed the Education Division Office of its intention to stop operation.