Youth urged to make the most of free tuition

CEBU, Philippines – Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara is urging Cebuano students and out-of-school youth to take advantage of the government’s free college education program starting this academic year.

Angara, one of the principal authors of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (RA 10931), said there is no more reason for students from lower-income families not to get a college diploma since the government subsidy will cover both tuition and other school expenses.

The senator was in Cebu City yesterday to speak at the graduation ceremony for Cebu Technological University’s Graduate Studies program.

“Kung dati, ang pangarap ng bawat pamilyang Pilipino ay magkaroon ng kahit isang graduate na siyang tutulong mag-ahon sa pamilya sa kahirapan. Ngayon, lahat ng ating mga anak ay may pagkakataon nang maging college graduate,” said Angara.

The government has set aside an initial funding of P40 billion for the program.

The fund will be used to pay the tuition, miscellaneous, and other school fees of students enrolled in 112 state universities and colleges, 78 local universities and colleges, and all technical-vocational education and training programs registered under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

In Cebu, four state colleges and local colleges are covered by the free tuition law this year. They are the Cebu Normal University, Cebu Technological University, Carcar City College, and Sibonga Community College.

RA 10931 created a tertiary education subsidy, which will cover allowance for books, supplies, transportation, room and board, personal computer or laptop, and other education-related personal expenses of poor students.

The subsidy will also provide financial support for the tuition and other fees of poor students enrolled in private colleges and universities.

Angara noted that a lot of students drop out of college because they do not have the ability to pay for tuition for all four years.

“Making college tuition free would eliminate this reason for not graduating,” he said.

By negating the large bill of a college education, Angara said the country could see an increase in the number of students able to attend college and a drop in the number of out-of-school youth.

He cited that based on the 2016 survey of the Philippine Statistics Authority, one out of 10 Filipinos aged between six and 24 are out-of-school child or youth, and most of them are college-age.

Out of the total 3.8 million out-of-school children/youth, 87 percent or more than three million are 16 to 24 years old, eight percent are 12 to 15 years old, and five percent are 6 to 11 years old.

He further said that more than half of 53 percent of all out-of-school children/youth belong to the country’s poorest families.

Meanwhile, Angara, in an ambush interview, said he was honored to be shortlisted for the senatorial slate of the administration’s PDP-Laban in the 2019 elections but added that he understands there is a process to follow.

“There is a short list and it will get shorter. Hopefully, we can come up with a shorter list in October during sa filing,” said Angara. —/JMD (FREEMAN)