Fewer colleges to impose tuition increase – CHED

THE Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Tuesday said it is confident that less number of private colleges and universities will implement tuition increase amid various student groups raising alarm on the expected hike. In an interview with Executive Director Julito Vitriolo, the commission expects only around 20 percent, or less of the total population of private schools that will increase its tuition fee for the incoming school year.

Vitriolo made the comment as the February 28 deadline for consultations between schools planning to raise tuition and their students this coming academic year is drawing near.

Around 339 higher education institutions (HEIs) last year have raised their fees, which prompted numerous protest actions by student and militant groups.

For this year, Vitriolo said that the country’s 109 state universities and colleges (SUCs) have promised not to raise their tuition or other school fees.

Of the 2,180 HEIs in the country today—including the SUCs and their branches, as well as 93 local universities and colleges—1,573 are privately operated.

Vitriolo said that he is looking at an increase of about 8 percent for this year.

Vitriolo added that private HEIs are aware that if they impose such increase upon the students, they may price themselves out of the market especially with the current economic difficulties.

This is evident in the increasing population at SUCs from the 2009 figure of 15 percent to 34 percent in 2010.

Earlier, Rep. Raymond Palatino of Kabataan party-list said the national average of the tuition rate in private colleges and universities in the past nine years has almost doubled from P257.41 a unit in 2001 to P501.22 (94.72 percent) a unit in 2010.

Money from tuition hikes is divided two ways: 70 percent for faculty salaries and 30 percent for the upgrade of school facilities.

Chairman Dr. Patricia Licuanan earlier said they are looking for a win-win solution to the perennial problem of tuition increases. –MARIA NIKKA U. GARRIGA, Manila Times