THE Cebu City Council is urging the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) to use its regulatory powers over private schools that are planning to increase their tuition.
“We are sad with this development that at least 117 private academic institutions have applied for tuition increase,” said Councilor Alvin Dizon.
The resolution introduced by Dizon said CHEd must not be reduced to merely appealing for schools to observe its policies. It should penalize schools which violate the guidelines for tuition fee hikes specified in Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 3 series of 2012.
The memorandum requires consultation with students and for the allocation of 70 percent of tuition fees to the salaries, wages, allowances, and other benefits of the teaching and non-teaching personnel; 20 percent for the improvement, acquisition and modernization of school facilities; and 10 percent for the return on investment for higher education institutions that are stock corporations.
“Sadly, the memorandum circular is often violated by higher education institutions,” said Dizon.
Some schools, he said, do not hold genuine student consultations or post consultation notices in conspicuous areas.
Others are not transparent on the breakdown of fee increases and do not use the proceeds for the purposes they stated to justify their increase, while some do not release financial statements and are guilty of “over-profiteering”.
“CHEd need not only examine the mere compliance of schools on the requirement of consultation but must assess how genuine and substantive those consultations are,” said Dizon.
Dizon also mentioned the case of Kristel Tejada, the freshman student from University of the Philippines Manila who committed suicide over a year ago because she could not pay her tuition./Angeli Sarmiento, UP Cebu Intern