NUSP shuts provisions on education bill

THE House of Representatives yesterday passed on third and final reading House Bill 533 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Bill. “We still denounce those contentious provisions that we have pointed out in the past,” said National Union of Student of the Philippines (NUSP) National Spokesperson Mark Vincent Lim.

In particular, NUSP calls to scrap the policy on giving priority to poor and deserving students. “The guise of "prioritizing the poor" has been used to legitimize tuition and other school fee increases under the neoliberal framework of gearing state universities and colleges (SUCs) to generate their own income through socialized tuition schemes which prioritize “poor but deserving students,” said Lim.

NUSP also calls to scrap the preferential guarantee for private higher education institutions. “This is guaranteed profit to private universities as a way to appease private interests, a student loan program was included in the bill to somewhat ‘cover’ for their losses brought about by decreased enrollment,” said Lim.

“We will continue to push for amendments to improve the bill and reflect the demands of the Filipino youth towards achieving free education for all at all levels,” added Lim.

“We call on the Filipino youth and the general public to mount sustained protests nationwide for free education for all at all levels. On May 24, we will storm the Senate to hold a protest during the bicameral session on the said bill. On June 9, we will conduct a nationwide National Day of Action for Free Education. We will not stand idly by and let an illusory law pass that does not address the fundamental problems of education,” concluded Lim.