UP Pre-schoolers Face 550% Fees Hike

The sight of college students in the state-run University of the Philippines protesting against tuition fee hikes is nothing new. This time however, they are joined by the parents of pre-school students, an indication of how far the commercialization of the UP educational system has gone. 

BY ANDREA TRINIDAD-CHAVEZ

Bulatlat.com

Parents of the University of the Philippines-Diliman’s early childhood program are up in arms against what they call as unjustified increase in miscellaneous fees, threatening to file a suit against the UP administration headed by President Francisco Nemenzo, Jr.

A group of concerned parents decried the decision of Nemenzo to increase miscellaneous fees by about 550 percent from P2,750 per semester in the current schoolyear to a whooping P15,000 per semester (P30,000 annually) starting June.

“We are shocked and saddened by this development. Surely, many children will be displaced by the administration’s decision,” lamented Dodee Manlapaz, spokesperson of concerned parents of the UP-Child Development Center (CDC).

He said parents were only informed of the UP administration’s decision late last month and only after parents had paid the down payment for the next schoolyear.

In a letter to parents, Dr. Miriam Covar, head of the Family Life and Child Development department which oversees the operations of UP-CDC, said the pre-school’s faculty appealed the UP administration’s decision but it was turned down by Nemenzo himself.

Increase in miscellaneous fees

In August last year, UP-CDC submitted a proposal to the UP administration for an increase in miscellaneous fees on a staggered basis beginning the second semester of this year. From the previous P2,750 miscellaneous fees per semester for non-UP dependents, it proposed to raise fees to P5,000 and from P2,000 to P4,000 per semester for UP dependents (dependents of UP employees). 

For schoolyear 2004-2005, UP-CDC proposed a miscellaneous fee of P8,000 per semester for non-UP dependents and P5,000 per semester for UP dependents.

However, instead of merely allowing the increase, UP System’s Financial Policies and Operations Committee (FPOC) which reviewed UP-CDC’s proposal decided to further increase the fees for non-UP dependents to P15,000 per semester or P30,000 per year.

“We do understand that UP has to increase the fees and in fact, the PTA agreed to it during a consultation last year,” Manlapaz said. “However, what they want to implement now is way above the figure agreed by the parents and the UP-CDC faculty during the consultation.”

He said the administration did not even bother to consult the new rates with the parents, adding that their appeal for a dialogue with Nemenzo had fallen on deaf ears.      

“Iskolar ng Bayan”* no more

There are over 100 children whose ages range less than a year old to five years old currently enrolled at UP-CDC. Established more than 30 years ago, it pioneered early childhood education in the country, accepting infants as young as three months old. It also has a special class for children with special needs.

The school gained prominence a few years ago after a national daily featured on its front page UP’s youngest “Iskolar ng Bayan” with UP-CDC’s infant class. Later, the young scholars were featured on national TV as they go about their normal routine in “class.”

UP-CDC has been the subject of several case studies on early childhood education by graduate and undergraduate students. Most known early childhood educators in the country came from FLCD and had used UP-CDC for their research. Bulatlat.com

* Iskolar ng bayan (government scholar) is a term that usually refers to UP students.

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