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IN spite of orders not to collect unauthorized fees from
students, it seems many private schools that also now
enroll public school students continue allegedly to
collect these various fees. This led students and
militant youth on Thursday to troop to the Commission on
Higher Education (Ched) to complain.
They said the schools are apparently trying to go around the
guidelines for increaasing tuition by just collecting
the fees.
The Kabataan Party-list and the National Union of Students of
the
Philippines
led student representatives from De La Salle University,
Araneta
University, University of the East, Mapua Institute of
Technology, Philippine School for Business and Arts,
Lyceum of the
Philippines,
Centro Escolar University, University of Santo Tomas,
and other schools in the rally.
At the same time, the students reiterated their call for a
full refund of the illegally collected fees and even
tuition increases for the current school year that did
not follow the government guidelines. They also asked
the Ched and lawmakers to investigate the dubious
collections.
“These fees are not only superfluous, but downright
ridiculous. Private schools are imposing exorbitant fees
to jack up their profits,” said student union
secretary-general Alvin Peters. He enumerated some of
these questionable fees as the energy fee, development
fee, accreditation fee, centennial fee or foundation fee
and air-con fee.
In a statement, the student union said, “the Philippine
Maritime Institute, for example, is charging its
students a safety on land and seas fee that is worth
P5,000 to P6,000. UE in
Manila,
on the other hand, is charging a cultural fee that is
worth P162 and Internet gee of P976. The Asian School of
Arts and Sciences is collecting P250 as athletics fee,
even if the school doesn’t have a varsity team.”
Kabayan national president Raymond Palatino said the school
year is about to end but private schools that increased
tuition and other fees have not yet given out refunds.
B. Cordero |
