Miriam seeks probe on tuition hike approval
Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago will file a resolution today calling for a Senate inquiry on the Commission on Higher Education’s recent approval of tuition hike for 313 private colleges and universities nationwide.
Santiago said Congress must consider drafting legislation to ensure that funds collected from increased school fees are not merely for profit.
“A school can always say that it increased the faculty’s wages, renovated a building, or bought new computers, but how does it support such claims?” she said in a statement.
“The CHED has issued guidelines for the use of funds derived from tuition increases, but we need to know how they ensure compliance with these rules. Is the submission of documentary requirements enough? Should there be onsite inspections?” she added.
She was referring to CHED Memorandum No. 03 series of 2012, which states that 70 percent of proceeds from tuition increases should fundsalary hikes for teachers and other school staff, while 20 percent should be used to improve buildings, equipment and facilities.
The memorandum also mandates schools to hold public consultations before proposing higher fees and tasked CHED regional offices to monitor compliance with established policies on tuition increases.
Santiago warned that the memorandum’s failure to require a clear breakdown of proceeds opens it to abuse.
Santiago’s statement came amid public outrage over a spike in tuition and other school fees for 313 colleges and universities. The CHED reported that it approved an average increase of P29.86 per unit or 6.17 percent for tuition, and P135.60 or 6.55 percent for other school fees.
The tuition hike also coincided with the Senate’s approval of the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (Unifast) Bill on third and final reading.
If enacted, the bill will harmonize all forms of student financial assistance programs, including scholarships, grants- in- aid, and student loans. Santiago is one of the authors of the bill.
“We cannot applaud ourselves for approving the Unifast Bill while we sit and do nothing as school fees skyrocket. It would be as if we are broadening access to education on the one hand, and allowing it to be limited on the other,” Santiago said.
The Unifast Bill took into consideration two proposed laws and one resolution authored by Santiago on student financial assistance.
These are the Part-Time Independent Students Grant, which seeks to provide financial assistance to Filipino college students who support their own education by working part- time; the National STEM Scholarship Database Bill aimed at making more accessible to the public the information on available funding for science, technology, engineering, or mathematics courses; and Senate Resolution No. 338 urging an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the need to institutionalize scholarship grants for students severely affected by calamities.
“Making education more accessible to the public should be a priority, right up there, if not taking precedence over, the fight against corruption. Corrupt politicians are threatened by an educated public,” Santiago pointed out.