Solon seeks probe on ‘automatic tuition hikes’ for incoming freshmen

A lawmaker has called for a congressional investigation on the steep tuition hikes implemented by several colleges and universities for incoming college freshmen.

Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon on Thursday filed House Resolution 895 urging the House committee on higher and technical education to probe the “automatic tuition fee [sic] hike” scheme practiced by certain higher education institutions (HEIs).

He said these increases are not subject to any kind of regulation from the Commission of Higher Education (CHED).

In a press conference, Ridon said some HEIs are able to circumvent existing CHED policies regulating the amount by which they can hike tuition by opting to implement instead a “carry-over scheme” where incoming freshmen will have to pay more than what was paid by the batch before them.

“Under such a scheme, incoming freshmen students—who already suffer from automatic fee increases—would again fall victim to further tuition hikes as they enroll in their second, third, fourth years and so on,” he said.

At present, CHED only requires colleges and universities to post the schedule of the tuition for incoming freshmen in conspicuous places inside their premises on or before February 28 of the academic year preceding the Academic Year (AY) the rates will be charged.

Data collated by the independent youth task force Tuition Monitor show that some HEIs plan to increase the unit price of tuition for freshmen students by as much as 43 percent.

Ridon said there is no legal basis for CHED not to regulate the increase of tuition for freshmen since these are still school fees.

"The failure to regulate and supervise tuition and other school fees of incoming freshmen students constitute an unconstitutional infringement of the equal protection clause, as it discriminates incoming freshmen students even of there are no reasonable grounds to make a distinction between them and students [who] are already enrolled in the HEIs,” he said in the resolution.

Student groups from several colleges and universities are set to hold a “Black Friday” protest on Feb. 28 to air their grievances regarding the rise in tuition and other fees imposed by HEIs and the alleged lack of consultation of school authorities with students during deliberations on proposed school fee hikes. — Xianne Arcangel/KBK, GMA News