Student Groups Set to Stop Tuition Hike, Demand CHED to Impose Moratorium

Press Release
May 22, 2010

The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) and the Kabataan Partylist vowed to “stop the current wave of tuition and other fee increases nationwide.” The youth groups also warned CHED of militant mass demonstrations should the latter fail to heed the call of parents and students for a tuition hike moratorium.

According to Vanessa Faye Bolibol, NUSP secretary general, CHED has not responded to the urgent demand of parents and students to freeze the “soaring increase” of tuition and other fees.

Our seething frustration towards CHED is primarily due to the fact that for nine years under the Arroyo government, it hasn’t budged to halt the unjustifiable tuition and other increases in schools all over the country. It is worth repeating that CHED should advance first and foremost the interest and welfare of students, not that of school owners.”

CHED has recently approved the petition of 339 colleges nationwide to increase tuition and other fees.

Bolibol slammed the “undemocratic tuition consultation process, or even the total absence of any form of consultation, in many schools.” She also criticized “CHED’s leniency in ensuring that democratic consultations were done by the schools which petitioned, and was allowed, to increase.”

She furthered, “How can CHED allow these schools to increase when most did not even bother to consult the students and the parents? CHED should cut the slack and do its job right.”

“Given these, we demand, with utmost force, CHED to release the list of schools it has allowed to increase. We also demand CHED to release a memorandum which orders the freezing of tuition and other fee increases in colleges and universities nationwide.”

Bolibol warned that there will be “repercussions” should CHED “once again play deaf to these democratic demands of parents and students.”

“If CHED won’t retract its decision allowing the 339 schools to increase, then the commission and Chairman Angeles will face the thousands of parents and students who will relentlessly protest in the following days,” she said.

Challenge to Aquino, elected leaders

The Union and the Kabataan partylist also challenged president-apparent Noynoy Aquino and the other newly elected officials to “keep their promise to the youth and the people.”

“During the campaign period, the country was flooded with promises from all the candidates. They, especially president-apparent Noynoy Aquino, should prove their declared commitment to the youth and people by joining the campaign on tuition hike moratorium and higher state subsidy to education,” Bolibol said.

Reference:
Vanessa Faye Bolibol
NUSP Secretary General

Kabataan Partylist