CHED announces tuition hike in nearly 400 colleges

ABOUT 399 colleges and universities have raised matriculation fees for this year, with some going as high as 13 percent for school year 2010 to 2011, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said Friday.

In an interview, CHED Chairman Dr. Emmanuel Angeles said that these colleges and universities are allowed by the commission to increase their fees following consultations and meeting with parents and students of their respective schools.

“These HEIs [higher educational institutions] have already conducted tuition consultations with students and their parents about the proposed rate of tuition and miscellaneous fee increase as early as February,” Angeles said.

He added that some schools had asked for a 6-percent increase.

Some schools cited the high cost of operational expenses and teachers’ wages as reasons for hiking tuition.

Angeles said the increase was inevitable, as school owners have to spend on the upgrade of classrooms and obsolescent equipment.

He also assured that government-operated state colleges and universities would not increase tuition.

According to data from CHED, the college student population moving from private to public universities increased over the past decade because of rising matriculation fees.

In 2000, the total student population of 2.2 million had 15 percent of them studying in public universities.

As of last year, the total student population of 2.6 million has a 32 percent population of students studying in public universities.

Angeles also announced that government scholarships would be made available to students who cannot afford to continue their studies in private schools. The project is in line with the agency’s move to encourage students to take up agriculture and fisheries courses.

Programs to intensify training of agricultural technicians and workers are also being worked out.

At present, some 65,734 students are enrolled in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, veterinary medicine and agribusiness courses in the 111 state universities and colleges nationwide.

Based on CHED records, the National Capital Region has the most number of HEIs that will implement fee increases with some 77 schools submitting their applications.

This was followed by Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon (Region IV A) with 51; Central Luzon (Region III), 45; Davao (Region XI), 25; Western Visayas (Region VI), 24; Northern Mindanao (Region X), 21; Central Visayas (Region VII), 19; Ilocos (Region I), 15; Zamboanga peninsula (Region IX), 14; Bicol (Region V), 13; South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos (Region XII), 12; Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan (Region IV-B) and Cagayan region, 7; Cordillera Administrative Region, 6; Caraga (Region VIII), 3; while no schools in Eastern Visayas region and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will increase.Of the 337 HEIs, 335 are private colleges and universities. –FRANCIS EARL A. CUETO Reporter with report from Kristine Bunda, Manila Times