Ched slammed

For approving another wave of tuition hike

YOUTH groups led by Kabataan Partylist and the National Union of Students of the Philippines picketed the main office of the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) on Tuesday to slam the impending release of the list of colleges and universities set to increase tuition for the incoming academic year.

The groups called on Ched to reject all applications for tuition hikes for academic year 2016-2017, saying that the cost of education in the country is already beyond the reach of many Filipino families.

“It’s an unconscionable move that will only deepen the financial woes of many students and their families,” Kabataan Partylist Rep. Sarah Elago said.

Ched is expected to release the list of schools with approved tuition hike proposals today.

“The Filipino youth is again demanding that Ched do everything in its power to stop tuition hikes. For years, this commission has served as a mere stamp pad for tuition hikes, resulting to the current situation where tuition in most higher education institutions is vastly unaffordable,” the youth solon added.

The youth legislator emphasized that under former President Noynoy Aquino’s administration, tuition deregulation has intensified. A study released by Kabataan Partylist last year showed that both tuition rates and profits of private universities have almost doubled under Aquino’s five years as president.

Elago also noted that under Aquino, the annual profits of some of the most prominent universities have almost doubled. “In fact we have schools like the Far Eastern University and the University of the East that are included in the Top 1,000 corporations.”

Data culled from the annual financial reports submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) show a steady increase in profitability of some of the country’s most well-known private higher education institutions (HEIs).

The youth solon revealed that for 2016, Far Eastern University (FEU) earned a total of P2.92 billion from tuition and other school fees (TOSF) collection, which is P300 million more than 2015. University of the East (UE), on the other hand, collected a total of P2.17 billion from tuition and other school fees, up by more than P100 million from last year’s P2.05 billion. Centro Escolar University’s (CEU) TOSF collection for 2016 totaled P1.73 billion, almost P100 million higher from last year.