1,257 schools hike tuition, other fees

A TOTAL of 1,257 institutions of learning—903 private elementary and high schools and 354 private colleges and universities—have been allowed to raise their tuition and other fees this year.

The Department of Education (DepEd) approved the applications of the 903 private schools, which represent six percent of the 15,429 private elementary and high schools in the country.

The DepEd is still evaluating the applications of 70 other schools even as it turned down those of 92 schools that were not able to justify their request to charge higher fees.

For its part, the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) approved hikes in tuition and other fees for 354 private colleges and universities, which represent 21 percent of the 1,683 higher education institutions (HEIs) in the country excluding those in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The five-member commission denied the applications of 97 private HEIs that sought tuition hikes.

The CHEd said that, on average, college tuition will rise by 8.5 percent or P37.45 per unit, the lowest percentage increase in the last 10 years.

For other school fees, the national average increase will be 7.58 percent or P194.62, the CHEd said.
Most of the schools raising their tuition are in Metro Manila where the private schools are concentrated.

Of the 2,363 private elementary and high schools in Metro Manila, 260 were allowed to raise their tuition while 25 others are still awaiting the DepEd’s decision.

The regions with the biggest number of private elementary and high schools that raised their tuition are Central Luzon (Region III) with 227 schools, Western Visayas (Region VI) with 110 and Calabarzon (Region IV-A) with 86.

The rest are in Region I with 69 schools, Region IV-B, 32; Region V, 63; Region VIII, 23; Region XII, 18, and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) with 15.

Of the 308 private colleges and universities in Metro Manila, 95 sought to hike their tuition but only 72 schools were allowed to do so by an average of 6.79 percent or P64.04 per unit.

The other regions with the most number of private HEIs that raised their fees are Calabarzon where 52 schools raised their tuition by 7.86 percent or P48.81 per unit and Central Luzon where 37 raised their tuition by 8.86 percent or P44.48 per unit.

The highest percentage increases were in Cagayan Valley (Region II) at 12.25 percent or at P31.26 per unit; Bicol (Region V) at 11.83 percent or P44.77 per unit, and the Ilocos (Region I) at 11.12 percent or P34.10 per unit. –http://philippinedailyinquirer.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx