Duterte wants staggered payment of tuition; Landbank to extend loans

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to allow staggered payment of tuition fees for the coming school year amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

In a televised briefing, Duterte said state-owned Landbank of the Philippines can lend money to parents struggling to pay their children’s tuition.

“‘Yung tuition ho sana I hope that you’d allow staggered payment or installments lang po sa mga eskwelahan,” the President told Education Secretary Leonor Briones.

“For those who have really nothing to come up to sa bayaran, you have the Landbank… itong Landbank bubuksan namin and you can borrow money to finance the education of your children,” Duterte added.

The chief executive acknowledged that the country is “hard pressed in our finances but we have to place the premium on education.”

“Kung wala na tayong pera, ilagay natin sa edukasyon sa mga bata… The future of this country depends on how we educate our young people nowadays,” he said.

Duterte also lauded DepEd’s distance learning methods that will make use of online platforms, printed modules, and radio and television programs to reach learners amid the pandemic. -- BAP, GMA News