June 15, 2010

Students Welcome Opening of Classes With Protest Against Tuition Fee Increase

Students led by the League of Filipino Students (LFS), Kabataan Partylist (KP) and Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP) stormed the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Regional Office-7 around 10:30 AM to protest against the Commission’s inactivity in the face of unabated tuition fee increases in private as well as in state colleges and universities throughout the country, many without even undergoing genuine consultation with students, parents and other stakeholders.

Aside from the tuition fee, schools also charge anomalous and exorbitant miscellaneous fees such as Internet fee and Energy fee which are supposed to be covered by the tuition fees students pay.

The students condemned CHED’s degeneration into a mere rubber stamp for school owners’ tuition increase and its feeble attempts at preventing colleges and universities from raising tuition and other fees.

Recently, CHED approved 339 Higher Education Institutions to increase their tuition fees for this school year 2010-2011. In Central Visayas alone, 18 schools will increase their tuition by no less than 3%. The percentage of increase for this year in the entire region is 12.37%.

After being denied entry, the students barricaded themselves in front of the Regional Office’s gate and demanded a dialogue with CHED Regional Director Amelia Biglete only to be told that the Director was absent. Undaunted, the protesters called on the ranking official of the office to face them and listen to their demands, eventually gaining entry into the CHED compound where they continued their program.

“When School Administrators apply for a tuition fee increase, they are welcomed with a ‘red carpet entrance’ into the CHED Office,” says Kyle Tumbiga, Coordinator of LFS-Cebu, “But when students come to petition for a freeze on tuition , they lock us out.”

After a brief standoff, Assistant Regional Director Candelario Aytona agreed to listen to the students’ demands but could only say that he would pass it on to the National Office. Despite the prodding of the students he would not assure them that the CHED would immediately act on their demands.

“Aytona’s statements show that there is no guarantee that our demands will even be acted upon by CHED, so we will not stop our protests until CHED takes a concrete action against tuition fee increase,” warns Tumbiga.

He proposes that in light of the continued effects of the Global Financial Crisis compounded by the economic dislocation brought about by the El Nino phenomenon, CHED should proactively put a stop to the yearly increase in tuition fees by imposing a moratorium on tuition hikes similar to the House Bill sponsored by Kabataan Party-list Representative Raymond Palatino which was unfortunately not acted upon by the outgoing Congress.

He also called on the incoming Aquino Administration to fulfill its campaign promise to concentrate on education by providing the highest budgetary priority to education, as mandated by the Constitution.

“CHED should prepare itself for a much bigger protest if it continues to be deaf to the cries of the students and parents,” Tumbiga said, “We are also calling on our fellow students to join us in opposing these threats to our right to quality education.”