Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — With the recently approved 2017 budget, students may soon get free tertiary education in state universities and colleges (SUCs).
The P8.3 billion Higher Education Support Fund is meant to provide free education for 1.4 million incumbent college students.
But youth leaders are still worried SUCs may instead charge students with excessive miscellaneous fees.
“Sa matagal na panahon, ang CHED (Commission on Higher Education) ay tuition increase body. Walang dahilan na sa January ay maningil pa ang mga SUCs,” Anakbayan Chairperson Vencer Crisostomo said.
[Translation: Ever since, CHED has been a tuition fee increase body. There is no reason to wait until January to collect.]
Kabataan Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago said the fees, both the tuition and miscellaneous, should be waived.
“Pag yan ay publiko, sa SUCs dapat libre lahat. At pag sinabi nating libre, ang intensyon ay hindi lang i-abolish ang tuition pero dapat wala na talagang bayaran,” she said.
[Translation: If it’s a SUC, it should be free. When you say free, the intention is not to only abolish tuition but they really should not be paying for anything.]
The Commission on Higher Education has yet to come up with guidelines as to how it will be implemented across the 114 SUCs in the country.
Senator Win Gatchalian said it is important to ensure its quick implementation as this will make the country more competitive in the labor market.
He added college graduates earn twice as much than a high school graduate.
“Out of 10 million kids na dapat nagkokolehiyo, 2.5 lang nag aaral..yung 7.5 hindi sila nag aaral.. of that number, 5 million due to poverty,” he said.
[Translation: Out of 10 million kids that should be in college, only 2.5 million are studying. The remaining 7.5 million are not studying — 5 million because of poverty.]
Gatchalian proposed to make tertiary education free for first time students, adding he is also eyeing the passage of the free higher education act next year, in order to make the free tuition policy in SUCs a permanent reality and not just for year 2017.
Elago meanwhile wants free public education in all levels.
