TACLOBAN CITY – Good news to parents in the region who have children in college. The Commission on Higher Education (ChEd) in the region reported that out of the 93 state and private colleges and universities, only two are to increase their tuition fees this school year.
And with only two private schools which are to implement tuition hike, possible drop of enrollment will not be a big concerned, said supervising education program specialist, said.
Salazar declined to identify the two private colleges that will impose a new rate of tuition fee this school year though she said that the increase is not beyond the current seven percent inflation rate of the region.
In the region, there are 40 state colleges and universities and 53 private colleges that are under the control and administration of ChEd.
Salazar said that there were actually four colleges that sought for an increase of their fees this school year but failed to meet the deadline which was April 1.
“We at least expect that our enrollment will not be affected considering that only two out of our 93 schools sought for tuition fee increase,” Salazar said.
She also said that students should immediately inform their office, in writing form, if their school will increase the fee even without the approval of their office saying “appropriate action” will be taken by their office.
She, however, mindful of the fact that there are families still reeling from financial losses due to super typhoon “Yolanda” that devastated Eastern Visayas, now the poorest region in the country after it experienced the wrath of the world’s strongest typhoon to make landfall.
“But then again, there were parents who enrolled their children in local schools than continue sending them to schools outside the region like in Cebu or Manila (after Yolanda,” Salazar said.
Last school year, there were more than 140,000 students who were enrolled in various colleges and universities in the region.
Salazar said that they are strict in approving any tuition fee that will go beyond the seven percent regional inflation rate.
In fact, one of the two schools which earlier sought for an increase, was forced to change its original tuition fee from 8 percent to seven percent to comply the ChEd requirement.
She also said that any increase shall be for increase of salaries of teaching and non-teaching personnel (70 percent); facilities upgrading (20 percent) with only the remaining 10 percent for school’s return in investment.
