Friday, 20 April 2012

CHEd okays tuition hikes in Bicol colleges

THE Commission on higher Education (CHEd) has approved tuition-fee increases in 16 higher education institution (HEIs) in the impoverished Bicol region next school year.

Abbie Lesaca, CHEd communications officer, said 16 HEIs all over Bicol will implement tuition hikes for academic year 2012-13.

Lesaca said the CHEd central office was informed by the CHEd regional office in Bicol of the impending implementation of the tuition increase.

She said the regional office had to yet to submit the list of schools that would hike their tuition as well as the rate of increase.  

She said the increase would definitely not go beyond the inflation rate.

The National Economic Development Authority pegged the inflation rate at 6.2 per cent in 2005, the reference cap for petition in tuition increase.

Lesaca said the CHEd will come out with an official list of schools all over the country that would increase tuition soon.

The CHEd said schools may increase their tuition only between 5 and 10 per cent of their present tuition rate or face possible decrease in the number of enrollment of their student population.

The CHED earlier said that close to 400 HEIs, the majority of which are at the National Capital Region including Metro Manila, have filed petitions for tuition hikes in February. 

The militant youth group Anakbayan blasted the CHEd for the approval of new round of tuition increases, claiming that not only schools in Bicol will increase tuition but several regions have already announced tuition hike in their areas.

“We are outraged by news that CHEd offices in several regions have already announced their approval of tuition hike proposals for next year,” Anakbayan said in a statement. 

Anakbayan said if the report is indeed true, then this only shows that CHEd is indeed engaged in “Noynoying” and have been remiss in its mandate to regulate tuition hikes with the seeming automatic approval of the tuition hike proposals without even ensuring that it has gone into the process. – Business Mirror


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