Senators to review free college education law IRR

The Senate committee on education will carefully review the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 10931 or the landmark free college education law to make sure they fully conform to the intent of the law.

Committee chairman Sen. Francis Escudero said there have been many instances in the past where the IRR issued by a government agency tasked to implement a law did not conform to or even exceeded the limits of the statute.

“We will surely check (the IRR) because they might limit the coverage of the law,” Escudero earlier told reporters, referring to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

He will check whether the CHED followed everything that have been agreed upon by both the Senate and the House of Representatives in crafting RA 10931.

The law, which covers 112 state universities and colleges (SUCs), local universities and colleges, and technical and vocational schools, will take effect in 2018 and Congress has allocated some P40 billion in the 2018 national budget to fund it.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said the more difficult task for the CHED is its actual implementation of the law involving 1.5 million students across the country.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said the statute provides that students must maintain good academic standards to enjoy free college education.

Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV encouraged students who failed to finish their college course to inquire with SUCs if they can go back to school and finish their studies for free.

The three senators were among those who authored the law.

Aside from tuition, the government will shoulder miscellaneous and all other mandatory fees.

Scholarship grants will be made available to students of both public and private college and universities. The government also provides a new and improved student loan program, where students can apply for financing of other education expenses.

In addition, students taking post-graduate studies can avail themselves of the new and improved student loan program and scholarships under the law.