Proposed reform on free tertiary education program gets mixed reactions from senators

The call of the Department of Finance (DOF) to review the country’s free college education system in state universities and colleges (SUCs) has drawn mixed reactions from senators.

For Senator Sonny Angara, chairperson of the Senate finance committee, the free tertiary education should be revisited “with a view to making richer families pay”.

“Multi-millionaire families should pay tuition so that more resources can go to support poorer families and students,” said Angara in a message to reporters.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III expressed a similar stance, saying Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno has a “very valid point” when he made the recommendation.

Pimentel said free college education should be provided to students who want to pursue higher education, those who have the aptitude to study in college, and those who can secure a competitive slot which can be determined through an examination.

Over the weekend, Diokno proposed a reform of the free education scheme in SUCs, calling it “wasteful” and “inefficient”.

Under his proposal, the Finance chief wants to strengthen the K-12 program and to filter students that should be qualified for free tertiary education through a nationwide examination.

"Theoretically, as a government scholar, he is entitled to [a certain] amount of education voucher. He may refuse to enroll in an SUC assigned to him and instead attend any government-accredited private university that will admit him. Of course, the voucher will be released on an annual basis and will be based on satisfactory performance of the government scholar," he said.

For his part, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero chided Diokno and said it is the funding of the education program that should be reviewed and revisited.

“I don’t understand why Sec. Diokno is so ‘stingy’ when it comes to investing in our country’s ‘human capital’ and yet liberal and magnanimous when it comes to ‘flood control’ - which hasn’t worked,” said Escudero.

“If at all, it is this allocation that should be reviewed and revisited,” he added.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED), at a recent House hearing, said the continued implementation of the law providing free college education is the best anti-poverty measure that the country can implement.

Data presented by CHED during a House hearing showed that 36.83% of college students who entered the School Year 2020–2021 dropped out or temporarily left schooling.

But at the same time, CHED said that the free college education law has increased the participation rate or percentage of the college-age population, aged 15 to 25, enrolled in baccalaureate programs in higher educational institutions (HEI) to 42% in the School Year 2022-2023 from 32% in 2016–2017 or prior to the law’s passage in 2018.—Sundy Locus/AOL, GMA Integrated News