CHED: UP's retraction of free tuition due to complicated tuition scheme
The Commission on Higher Education confirmed that the University of the Philippines will collect tuition for school year 2017-2018 due to its complicated tuition structure.
According to a report by Maki Pulido on Balitanghali on Thursday, CHED Commissioner Prospero E. De Vera III made the comment after UP, in a memorandum, announced it will not see tuition-free education this coming school year.
Meanwhile, the university's Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs said that the possible reason might be a shortage in the budget.
Among the 113 state universities and colleges (SUCs), only UP will collect tuition for school year 2017-2018.
De Vera said that the CHED is hoping for the passage of the bill that would grant tuition-free education in all SUCs.
The proposed measure was submitted for President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature on July 5. It will lapse into law on August 5 if the President fails to act on it.
Duterte’s economic managers, however, opposed the proposal, saying that the government cannot afford the P100 billion needed to fund it.
But De Vera said that the budget needed won't reach P100 billion.
If the implementation is phased, only P16.8 billion would be needed for school year 2018-2019. This would cover the tuition and miscellaneous needs of more than a million college students.
On the third year of its implementation, the funds needed may reach P34 billion to cover student loan board fees for students who need further financial assistance.
The Student Loan Board program allows students to defer registration payment up to 80% of the total assessed fees during the enrollment period, payable within the semester with a minimal interest rate per annum. —Jessica Bartolome/KG/KVD, GMA News