PRESS RELEASE

                                                                                            18 May 2005   

 

TANADA ON THE TUITION FREEZE:  “WHY ONLY STATE SCHOOLS?”


Representative Lorenzo “Erin” Tanada, (LP, 4th District Quezon) asked why the President only chose to freeze the tuition for public schools but not private schools.  The young solon appeared dissatisfied with a mere cap on tuition fee hikes equivalent to the inflation rate that was imposed by the Commission on Higher Education.

 

“At a time of reeling price increases, parents and students would surely welcome a respite on price increases especially on education as all of us know how much value we place on it,” he said.

 

Past tuition fee increases have been quite heavy on the family’s budget and was partly the reason why some pre-need companies have been having problems.      According to CHED, tuition fee increases averaged 11.4% last year to 15% of late.  Further, there was a 14.2% increase in schools fees alone.

 

Related to this, Tanada, together with the three other Quezon Representatives – Rafael Nantes, Proceso Alcala and Danilo Suarez filed House Bill 3106  which clearly defines mechanisms of consultation before any private educational institution can adjust tuition fees.  Among these are:

 

Ø      six months prior to the proposed tuition fee adjustment, the school will call for a comprehensive and appropriate consultation with the faculty, non-academic faculty associations, parents and teachers associations, student councils and alumni associations

Ø      notice of the actual date of consultation shall be conspicuously posted on all school bulletin boards and printed in the campus paper

Ø      audited financial statements, expansion and investment plans current salaries and planned salary increases for school personnel will be made available to all stakeholders 15 days prior to the date of consultation

Ø      a consensus should be achieved if ever an increase is contemplated.  Should a consensus is not achieved, an arbitration body shall be created composed of representatives of the alumni association or an impartial body composed of people mutually acceptable to concerned parties.

 

“At the moment, the law provides for some kind of consultation between the school administrators and the students and parents but it is quite vague that what results, if ever, are just token consultations.  Parents and even teachers should be given the benefit of looking at where the increases in tuition goes and not just take the management’s  word  for it,”  he added.