CHED proposes stricter enforcement of ‘return service’ requirement in state universities
MANILA, Philippines — As more students benefit from free tertiary education, Commission on Higher Education Chairperson Popoy De Vera said it is time to consider a stronger implementation of the return service requirement in state universities and colleges.
“The power to require return service is an explicit power of the boards of state universities and colleges, but that is discretionary on their part. The mechanism on how to require this in public universities is not very clear under existing laws,” De Vera said on Thursday.
Speaking at a House hearing with members of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), De Vera said that CHED would like to “request that the commission to discuss seriously return service requirements for getting free education” as it begins its review of the country’s education system.
De Vera said that since the passage of RA 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act in 2017, more students from “relatively higher income households” are now enrolling in state universities and colleges where tuition is free.
With more applicants vying for a spot, De Vera said the acceptance rate in several state universities and colleges has dropped to less than 50%, and those who ace the admission tests are those who typically have the funds for review classes.
“Maybe we should ask the question of whether this is the role that national universities or public universities should play,” De Vera said.
“We are pushing for discussion on affirmative action that public universities must play to ensure that students from public universities, from indigenous communities, from far-flung areas and marginalized communities can be assisted so that they can get into higher education,” De Vera added.
Why it was removed
De Vera said that while CHED inserted the return service requirement in the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of RA 10931, it has not "successfully" implemented this.
It can be recalled that when the IRR of RA 10931 was published, state universities and colleges were tasked to come up with a return service system for students benefiting from free tuition.
In 2018, however, then-Rep. Antonio Tinio (ACT Teachers Party-list) flagged the provision and said the return service requirement had no legal basis as the text of RA 10931 itself does not mention such a system.
Since then, CHED has left the implementation of a return service agreement up to the discretion of schools, which De Vera said could be anything from outreach activities to assisting various school offices, among others.
EDCOM 2 will begin this year its three-year review of the country’s education system, the findings of which will form the basis for their policy recommendations for its improvement.
As part of its review of higher education, EDCOM 2 will prioritize its assessment of students' access to quality education, efficiency of public and private education institutions, graduate education, among others.
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