Kabataan, LFS picket CHED over tuition hike

CEBU, Philippines - To mark the opening of classes, militant students yesterday trooped to the Commission on Higher Education office in Barangay Lahug to condemn the surge of tuition hikes in at least 17 private colleges and a state college in Central Visayas.

At least 20 members of the League of Filipino Students, Kabataan Partylist and the Student Christian Movement of the Philippines picketed early morning inside the CHED premises to denounce the commercialization of education.

LFS provincial coordinator Kyle Paolo Tumbiga said that “in light of the continued effects of the Global Financial Crisis compounded by the economic dislocation brought about by the El Niño phenomenon, CHED should proactively put a stop to the yearly increase in tuition fees by imposing a moratorium on tuition hikes”.

“(The tuition hike) wala niagi og genuine students’ consultation,” he said adding that aside from the tuition, schools also charge anomalous and exorbitant miscellaneous fees such as Internet fee and Energy fee which are supposed to be covered by the tuition students pay.

Tumbiga said they barricaded themselves in front of the CHED regional office gate after being denied entry and demanded a dialogue with CHED regional director Amelia Biglete, who was not around that time.

The protesters called on the ranking official of the office to face them and listen to their demands, eventually gaining entry into the CHED compound where they continued their program.

After a brief standoff, assistant regional director Candelario Aytona agreed to listen to the students’ demands but could only say that he will pass it on to the CHED national office. Despite the prodding of the students he would not assure them that the CHED will immediately act on their demands.

Aytona also said the approval of the tuition fee increase went through the proper procedures.

“Aytona’s statements show that there is no guarantee that our demands will even be acted upon by CHED, so we will not stop our protests until CHED takes a concrete action against tuition fee increase,” said Tumbiga.

Protests were simultaneously done yesterday all over the country, according to Tumbiga.

CHED earlier released the list of private colleges and a state college in Central Visayas that will implement a tuition increase this year.

In an earlier interview with Biglete, she said her office had granted the requests of 17 private colleges and a public college for a tuition increase.

She said the number of colleges granted a tuition fee increase was only 13 percent of the total 141 colleges in the region.

Some of the schools and their corresponding increases are; La Consolacion College in Bais City Negros Oriental, 15 percent; Cebu Institute of Technology, seven percent; Bohol Wisdom School in Tagbilaran City, 30 percent; and Cebu Roosevelt Memorial Colleges, 14 percent.

Also, the Cebu Doctors’ University will have five percent tuition increase; Foundation University of Dumaguete City, nine percent; Asian College of Technology in Cebu City, eight percent; and Benedicto Colleges in Mandaue City, 13 percent.

The Blessed Trinity College in Talibon, Bohol, will implement a 10 percent tuition hike; University of San Carlos, 7.98 percent; University of Southern Philippines-Foundation, seven percent; University of San Jose-Recoletos, 7.5 percent.

Saint Theresa’s College will increase five percent; Saint Paul University in Dumaguete City, 10 percent; Trinidad, Bohol Municipal College, three percent; and Saint Louie de Manila College in Bogo City, 9.5 percent.

Biglete only mentioned 16 schools although she announced that there are 18 colleges that were granted a tuition increase.

According to the CHED report, the tuition increase in 339 institutions of higher learning nationwide is irrevocable since the schools have met the commission's requirements for the implementation of a tuition hike.

In March this year, about 390 schools applied for a tuition hike, 339 of whom were given affirmation by CHED.

The report said that in most tuition increases, 70 percent of the additional money goes to teachers and employees' benefits, while 20 percent goes to maintenance of school facilities.

Meanwhile, the Cebu provincial government is scheduled to distribute next month the school supplies to elementary and high school students, including the teachers in Cebu province.

Capitol spokesman Rory Jon Sepulveda made the announcement in response to the request made by Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr. to the Office of the Governor to distribute the school supplies presently deposited at the Cebu International Convention Center.

“Dili angayan nga mabalaka si Vice Governor Sanchez kay ang kapitolyo nagplano na kanus-a ipang- hatag sa mga estudyante ang mga notebooks,” Sepulveda said.

With the opening of classes yesterday, Sanchez said the office of Governor Gwen Garcia should direct the Provincial General Services Offices to distribute the school supplies to the students.

Sepulveda said the provincial General Services Office usually distributes the school supplies by the month of July.

This year, the provincial government allocated P30 million for the purchase of notebooks, schoolbags and supplies for teachers.

The cities of Lapu-Lapu and Cebu were not included in the program.

The distribution of school supplies was a promise made by Garcia, in return she asked the students to study hard and support the province Green and Wholesome Environment that Nurtures expanded program.

Aside from planting 10 jackfruit trees, children are also encouraged to plant sweet potatoes in their school garden in support of the province’s Sinanduloy Alang Sa Kabusog, Sinanduloy Alang sa Kahimsog program.

The provincial government has so far built more than 600 classrooms and distributed chairs and computers and also the school supplies fort students and teachers.

The Department of Education regional office honored Garcia last year for her efforts in improving the quality of education in Cebu Province. – Marjun A. Baguio and Jose P. Sollano/BRP (THE FREEMAN)