The Commission on Higher Education’s (CHEd) recent claim about a tuition increase freeze this year is turning out to be mainly for public consumption. As schools opened last week, more colleges had actually applied for tuition hike and, to top it all, this year’s tuition increases were higher compared to previous years.
By Carl Marc Ramota
Bulatlat.com
The Commission on Higher Education’s (CHEd) recent claim about a tuition increase freeze this year is turning out to be mainly for public consumption. As schools opened last week, more colleges had actually applied for tuition hike and, to top it all, this year’s tuition increases were higher compared to previous years.
Last year, 381 or 28.84 percent of 1,321 private higher educational institutions (PHEIs) applied for tuition increase. This year, CHEd officials said, fewer private institutions or 205 schools applied for tuition increase this year.
CHEd spoke too soon. Its own report last May revealed that actually 276 or 20.49 percent of the total 1,347 PHEIs applied for tuition hike.
Although the number of schools applying for tuition increase may have been smaller, this year’s average tuition hike is just the same higher compared to last year.
In the commission’s partial report, the national average tuition hike is pegged at 11.52 percent from 11.37 percent increase in 2004. Now, the national average tuition per unit is P353.03 per unit, an increase of P36.43 from last year’s rate.
In the National Capital Region (NCR or Metro Manila), tuition went up by 11.33 percent, higher than last year’s 10.83 percent hike. At present, tuition rate in the NCR is P722.41 per unit or P15,170.61 for a full 21-unit load.
NCR still tops tuition increases it having the most number of schools that increased tuition at 65. But Regions 10, 6, 9 and the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) registered the biggest percentage of PHEIs that increased tuition. Region 10 had 33.87 percent of schools or 21 out of 62 schools increasing their tuition; Region 6, 32.43 percent of the schools or 24 out of 74 schools; Region 9, 31.91 percent or 15 out of 47 schools; and in CAR, 31.03 percent or 9 of the 29 schools.
Highest tuition increase
Compared to other regions, however, Region 8 has the highest average percentage tuition increase with 19.26 percent hike. The lowest recorded tuition hikes are in Regions 10 and 11 with 9.36 percent and 9.78 percent, respectively.
In the NCR, the Asian Theological Seminary (ATS) posted the biggest tuition hike with a 150 percent increase. Tuition per unit in ATS now stands at P1,500 from P600 last year.
Tuition rate is highest at University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center (UERMMMC) with P2,090.91 per unit or PP43,909.11 for a student with a 21-unit load. Closely trailing UERMMMC is the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) with P2,079.82 per unit.
These schools are joined by De La Salle University (DLSU) – College of Saint Benilde, with P1,772.20 per unit; DLSU Manila, P1,696.97; University of Santo Tomas (UST), P1,427.39; Assumption College, Inc.,
P1,361.00; St. Scholastica’s College-Manila, P1,335.60; Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT), P1,302.91; Manila Central University (MCU), P1,164.98; and Miriam College, P1,132.00.
New memo, new loopholes
Supposedly to arrest runaway tuition and miscellaneous fee increases, CHEd issued a new order to tertiary schools applying for fee hikes. CMO No. 14 imposes a cap on tuition and miscellaneous fees based on the country’s prevailing inflation rate.
CHEd has also included more requirements for tuition increase application. Schools intending to increase tuition must submit a Certificate of Compliance that previous year’s incremental proceeds from tuition increase were used for personnel services and improvement of facilities and a Certificate of Agreement in the application of new fees to signify that new school charges were initiated and agreed upon by students.
Youth and student groups have however opposed the new CHEd memo, saying it will only “legitimize yearly increases in tuition and other school fees.”
