Free tertiary education funding assured

DAVAO CITY Representative and House appropriations committee chairman Karlo Alexei B. Nograles said there would be continued funding for free higher education beginning this year and in the succeeding years. “We allocated P40 billion for the implementation of the free higher education law and we are happy that the Senate did not touch it,” Mr. Nograles said, in connection with Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, which President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed into law before the end of 2017. The law guarantees free tuition and miscellaneous fees next schoolyear for students who will enroll in the almost 112 state universities and colleges (SUCs) in various locations in the Philippines. This year’s budget will also pave the way for the implementation of free wi-fi for SUCs nationwide. “The next budget for free education is on 2019. We will try every year to put budget for higher education,” Mr. Nograles said. He said the SUCs already have a capital outlay for the construction of buildings and other infrastructure requirement. On top of that, an additional P10 million for each of the SUCs will be allotted for the construction of new buildings. Mr. Nograles said teachers are also set to get an additional P1,000 cash allowance every month which means an increase from P2,500 to P3,500 cash allowance per month. — Carmencita A. Carillo