Opinion by Khim Joshua Raymundo
Education is a basic right. It is stated in our constitution that the state shall promote the right to quality education and shall take steps to make it accessible to all. If this is the case, then the government’s failure to do so may be deemed unconstitutional.
Three years ago, the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act was passed, which aims to provide free tuition and other schools fees in 112 state universities and colleges (SUCs), 72 local universities and colleges (LUCs), and all state-run technical-vocational institutions. The Department of Budget and Management appropriated P8.3 billion in its first implementation in 2017.
While this is a step towards attaining free and quality education, the tuition fee is not the only thing that must be taken into consideration. Having enough admission slots in SUCs and LUCs is another thing for consideration. Bear in mind that these limited slots are partly due to the failure of the government to provide enough facilities that will cater to the influx of incoming college students.
Following the approval of the free tuition law in 2017, Commission on Higher Education commissioner Prospero de Vera III proposed stricter admission and retention policies to prevent a massive transfer of private school students to SUCs and LUCs. How will students enjoy their right to free education if it’s harder to get into state or local colleges?
Aside from limited slots and strict admission requirements, quality education remains unavailable to all because its corresponding law has set several restrictions. Students who don’t finish their degree programs are not included among those who receive free tuition. Also, students ineligible to enroll due to failure to comply with their university’s admission or retention policies are also not covered by this law.
Students have different reasons for not being able to complete their degrees within the prescribed period, yet the law seems to invalidate them. The same applies to students who were barred from enrolling due to a failing grade. There are students who need to juggle academic requirements and work demands to finance their education, despite the benefits provided by the free education law. Is it fair for the government to deprive these students of the benefits of this law without knowing their circumstances?
One of free education law’s goals is “to increase participation rate among all socioeconomic classes in tertiary education.” This is beyond possible with the current form of the law. Free tuition alone does not make education more accessible to the poor because they still have to worry about housing accommodations and daily living expenses. Most of them are family breadwinners. As they compete with hundreds of thousands of students applying for free tuition education, their educational burden gets worse.
The government is always seeking for national development, but it seems that the state doesn’t see education as a priority.
In 2018, the government allocated P1.097 trillion, or almost a third, of the national budget for infrastructure programs, while the budget for education was P691.1 billion. The Duterte administration keeps on increasing funds for “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure programs while state and local universities and colleges receive budget cuts.
The government should, without a doubt, invest in educating the youth as they will shoulder the future of this nation. Cliche as it may be, it holds true that doing so will benefit the generations to come and open the floodgates of opportunities and developments for our country.
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