Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) — The Kabataan Party-list on Thursday decried the suggested training fees for the proposed mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) amid protests on impending increases in tuition and other school costs.
\”These mandatory fees will keep more students out given impending tuition and other fee increase across private universities,” said Renee Louise Co, Kabataan Party-list Executive Vice President.
The deadline for schools to apply for an increase in tuition and other fees is on Friday.
Under Section 19 of Senate Bill 2034, training fees for ROTC will be charged “not more than fifty percent (50%) of the tuition per academic unit or subject, for those not covered by the Free Tuition Law.”
\”The CHED (Commission on Higher Education), TESDA (Technical Education And Skills Development Authority) and DND (Department of National Defense) shall determine the reasonable distribution of the fees,\” the Senate bill read.
It added that the collated fees will be allocated among the Higher Education Institutions, Technical-Vocational Institutions and DND to \” cover the cost of training and related expenses.\”
“Doble gastos, doble pagod at doble abuso ang dulot ng mandatory ROTC,” Co said.
[Translation: The mandatory ROTC only doubles expenses, exhaustion, and abuse.]
Instead of pushing for the mandatory ROTC, Co called on the government to improve the implementation of the Free Tuition Law.
