Youth group Anakbayan today called on the President Noynoy Aquino and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to immediately implement a moratorium on all school fee hikes next year and rollback tuition rates in light of student protests triggered by the suicide of UP
Manila student Kristel Tejada.
“In the immediate, the government should implement a moratorium on all tuition hikes for next year in both public and private schools. But
more than this, radical measures should be made to reverse the policy of tuition increases and commercialization. The education system needs an overhaul,” said Vencer Crisostomo, national chairperson of Anakbayan.
Crisostomo said that annually, about 300 universities and colleges increase tuition and other fees by around 10-15% despite staunch
opposition from student councils and groups. Tuition and fee hikes again loom as the period of consultations for tuition hikes ended last
February 28.
“The Aquino government has been noynoying on tuition hikes since it took power. It slashed the budget for SUCs and pushed for
commercialization and tuition hikes. Its program for tertiary education is further abandonment. We must make accountable those
responsible for these rotten policies and must reverse these,” he said.
He said that the education crisis is worsening and can no longer be cured with “band-aid” actions.
“It is time we evaluate the roots of this crisis.
We need systemic change, radical solutions.
