Free tuition bill faces opposition

MANILA, Philippines -  Militant youth groups aired their opposition Tuesday against the proposed legislation that aims to provide free tuition to students in state universities and colleges (SUCs).

Students of the University of the Philippines on the same day commemorated the death of UP Manila student Kristel Tejada, who committed suicide four years ago allegedly due to her family’s inability to pay her tuition.

During the commemoration, various groups aired their concerns over the proposed Affordable Higher Education for All Act, which passed the Senate on third reading on Monday.

The proposed legislation will not provide free tuition but will rather expand the socialized tuition system currently being implemented in UP, Ben Te, a member of the UP Diliman university student council said.

He cited a provision in the proposal, which mandates SUCs to establish a “meritocratic and equitable” mechanism to implement the tuition subsidy under the bill.

Te questioned the provision that aims to provide tuition subsidy to those who wish to enroll in private schools, saying this will only guarantee sure profits for private school owners.

“That free education is now the talk of town is a result of the decades-long campaign of students for free education. However, this legislation only gives the illusion of giving free tuition while intensifying the current commercialized system of education,” he said.

“We fear this is essentially UP’s notorious socialized tuition scheme implemented on a nationwide scale. Lest we forget, socialized tuition has resulted in a massive tuition hike in the premier state university from little more than P40 per unit before 1989 to P1,500 per unit today,” Te added.

League of Filipino Students spokesperson JP Rosos said the proposed bill mocks Tejada as it proposes a policy similar to the one that killed her.

“The Affordable Higher Education for All Act is not free tuition for everyone. As it expands Student Financial Assistance Programs, it recognizes that higher education is not for all. It compels students to compete for scholarships that is clearly not for all,” he noted.

“The motions to have student loans and increase scholarships together with the conditional implementation of free tuition is based on the premise that capitalist educators can increase the collection of money from the students,” Rosos said.