Student group against proposed tuition fee hikes in some schools

The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) appealed for a more "accessible education" amid the proposed tuition fee hikes of some schools.

“Sa nakalap nating report sa mga universities ay umiikot sa 4% to almost 10% ang mga TOFI (tuition and other fee increase) na gustong ipasa at iapply ng mga universities sa Commission on Higher Education (CHED)," NUSP spokesperson Joshua Aquiler said in Bernadette Reyes’ “24 Oras” report on Tuesday.

(In the report we have gathered from the universities, the TOFI that the universities want to pass and apply to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) ranges from 4% to almost 10%.)

"Kung itatabi natin siya or icocompare natin sa family income na mga minimum wage earners ay P133,000 lang kinikita sa loob ng isang taon. Talagang malaki, may deficit sa kakayahan ng mga mamamayan ng pilipino na magbayad ng edukasyon,” Aquiler added. 

(If we put it aside or compare it to the family income of minimum wage earners, they only earn P133,000 in a year. And there is really a big deficit in the ability of Filipino citizens to pay for education.)

According to NUSP, tuition fees per year in private schools in higher education cost around P150,000. 

The group adds that the tuition and other fees continuously increased even during COVID-19 pandemic. Last school year, the tuition fee also increased by almost 5% while other fees climbed more than 10%.

The group said the increasing expenses in education is one of the reasons that some students are dropping out from school.

“Ayon sa World Bank data, sa 10 na estudyanteng papasok sa primary education isa lamang dito yung makapagtapos,” Aquiler said.

(According to World Bank data, out of 10 students who enter primary education, only one graduates.)

“So kung icocompress natin yung data sa 10 na papasok sa primary education, isa lamang makakapagtapos ng higher education at dahil ito sa datos na ibinigay sa atin ng Philippine Institute for Development Studies na ang numero unong reason kung bakit ganito kalagayan ng education natin ay inaccessible education natin. Hindi abot kaya,” he said.

(So if we compress the data, out of 10 people who enter primary education, only one will be able to graduate from higher education,  data from the Philippine Institute for Development Studies showed that the number one reason why our education is inaccessible is because it's expensive.)

Meanwhile, some parents are working double time after the proposed tuition fee hike.

“Yung aming pagkain tipid na tipid para maitabi para sa tuition ng anak ko. Dati po bananaque lang po ako tsaka palamig. Ngayon po nagdagdag lang po ako ng tinapay nagluluto na rin po ako ng ulam,” parent Bebian Baranda said.

(We were saving our food for my child's tuition. Before, I was only selling bananaque and beverages. Now, I just added bread and I'm also cooking other dishes.) —Richa Noriega/ VAL, GMA Integrated News