Senator Loren Legarda said on Monday that students who will enroll in state universities and colleges (SUCs), local state universities and colleges (LUCs), and state-run technical vocational institutions (TVIs) no longer need to pay for tuition and other school fees, based on the 2018 General Appropriations Act funds RA 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
According to Legarda, about P40 Billion were allocated for the implementation of RA 10931.
“Access to education remains to be a major concern, especially for poor families who would want their children to finish college. I am happy to report that we can now provide free education up to the tertiary level,” Legarda said, hoping to “further bring down the number of out-of-school youth as well as improve the quality of all our learning institutions.”
Students, who will enroll in Academic Year 2018-2019 for a bachelor’s degree, certificate degree, or any comparable degree in any SUC or LUC, as well as enrollees in any post-secondary Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in state-run TVIs, are exempted from paying tuition and other school fees.
Other school fees include admission, registration, entrance, development, guidance, athletic and cultural fees, as well as fees for library, computer, laboratory, school ID, handbook, medical, dental, and other similar or related fees charged by SUCs, LUCs and TVIs which cover other necessary costs supportive of instruction.
“While the law mandates SUCs, LUCs and TVIs to create a mechanism to enable students with the financial capacity to pay for their education to voluntarily opt out of the tuition and other school fees subsidy, I urge CHED to strengthen monitoring of the implementation of the law to ensure that we are prioritizing those who truly need this subsidy,” she emphasized.
“Education is the best investment for our nation and our people. It is incumbent upon us to prioritize education in our budget in order to cultivate leaders and nation builders of tomorrow and we must ensure that every Filipino is given a fair chance to access quality education that will open better opportunities for growth,” Legarda concluded. (Tina Joyce Laceda – PTV)
