June 3, 2008
An Unwelcome Greeting

During this registration period, nothing can be more unwelcome than the host of exorbitant fees that will be sucked from the pockets of families already burdened by the soaring prices of basic commodities and worsening economic conditions.

Just like any commodity in the market today with steep price hikes, academic courses in our college are rendered more expensive with last year’s tuition fee increase and the recent hike in laboratory fees in some Broadcast Communication subjects. These schemes can be deemed as nothing but indicators of long-standing commercialization policies of education which the Arroyo regime created from a neoliberal mold.

The recent move of the government to freeze tuition hikes this coming academic year in state colleges and universities only reflects its insincerity. Rather than abolish existing policies that breed incessant hikes in tuition and miscellaneous fees, the Arroyo regime has resorted to a belated band-aid solution to save its face during these period of declining living standards.

When the 300 percent tuition fee increase in our university has already done its damage, the moratorium on tuition hikes becomes pointless. It is then highly justified to call for a rollback of tuition using the same premise that the government pretends to uphold – economic relief of Filipino families.

With its firm stand to keep its hands off from miscellaneous and laboratory fees, the Arroyo regime has further rendered its intention to mitigate the impact of “food price shock” and oil price hikes futile. A laboratory fee of P600 if scrapped, for instance, can mean additional 16 kilos of rice for a family, only if the regime would allot public funds where its mouth is.

The country’s premiere state university should be catering to the underprivileged during these difficult times. But when it sets up barriers in the form of tuition hikes and exorbitant fees, the youth have no recourse but to take the fight against the commercialization of education to the streets.

Scrap laboratory fees!
Rollback the tuition!
Junk the 300 percent hike tuition policy!
Oppose the commercialization of education!

League of Filipino Students – College of Mass Communication
(For comments and reactions, please text 0905.2347046)