House OKs free tuition in state universities and colleges

The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill that, if passed, will provide for free tuition and other fees in state universities and colleges (SUCs), as well as in state-run technical and vocational institutions across the country.

House Bill 5633, or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, got the nod of a total of 221 legislators at Monday’s plenary session, with no opposition nor abstention.

The measure will be up for bicameral conference, with its counterpart, the Affordable Higher Education for All Act, already approved by the Senate last March.

Once approved by the bicameral conference, it will soon be transmitted to Malacañang for President Rodrigo Duterte's approval or veto.

Under HB 5633, all Filipino residents enrolled in SUCs and other state-run technical and vocational institutions in the country shall be exempt from paying tuition and other school fees.

The amount required to implement this in SUCs “shall be determined by the respective governing boards” of the said institutions, “based on the expected total cost of attendance, in relation to the projected number of enrollees for each academic year.”

The initial implementation of this act “shall be charged against” the appropriations of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on the year the law takes effect, with the amount in succeeding years included in the annual national budget of SUCs, CHED, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

The free technical-vocational education, meanwhile, will be implemented by TESDA.

The bill also provides for a tertiary education subsidy for “financially-disadvantaged students,” and a student loan program. The amount for this, taken from the budget of the which will be determined by the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education.

Senate approved in March

The Senate in March approved the chamber's version of the measure.

The proposal passed the Senate with a vote of 18-0.

The measure was authored by 10 senators led by Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, former chairman of the education committee.

“In line with the mandate of our Constitution, the State must uphold the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels,” Aquino said then.

At present, the senator said about 1,645,566 students are enrolled in different SUCs, where the average weighted annual tuition is P9,407.

If enacted into law, Aquino said the government would shell out around P16 billion every year to subsidize tuition fees in SUCs.

“This bill is for the Filipino youth who are struggling to finish their college education, and as well as their parents who are working hard to pay for the expenses of their schooling,” Aquino said. —NB, GMA News