Youth group: No tuition hike for state schools ‘for show’

By Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 12:06:00 05/26/2008

MANILA, Philippines — An activist youth group dismissed as “for show” President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s announcement Monday that there will be no tuition increase for state schools and universities.

The move of the President “will likely be just for show as enrollment season has already begun and many have already paid their tuition fees,” said League of Filipino Students (LFS) national chair Vencer Crisostomo in a statement.

Arroyo had also ordered the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to urge private universities to reconsider any plans to increase their tuition.

But Crisostomo said Arroyo’s move of the President was aimed at “boosting her popularity.”

The LFS chair said what is needed are “substantial reforms in the educational system,” include raising the government subsidy for education and moderating tuition hikes.

“The students and parents of today are being faced by high education costs due to a flawed policy of deregulation and state neglect. The government must reverse this, investigate in order to rollback tuition costs in private institutions, and increase state subsidy and lower tuition rates in state run schools,” Crisostomo said.