53 NCR schools file petition for tuition hike - DepEd

MANILA, Philippines - Fifty-three private elementary schools in the National Capital Region (NCR) have already filed application for tuition increase for school year 2008-2009, according to the Department of Education. At the same time, the department is still in the process of updating the petitions filed by secondary schools. There are around 1, 000 private elementary and secondary schools in Metro Manila. The deadline for the submission of the petition is on May 15. A DepEd official in NCR said they allow schools to hike their tuition provided it is in accordance with their regulation and that majority of the increase would go to the upgrading of schools equipment and salaries of the teachers. Teresita Domalanta, director of DepEd-NCR, said they don’t expect the increase in tuition this year to exceed 10 percent. “We expect any increase in that range since the school owners knows that any increase beyond that would result to a decline in their enrolment,” she said. She added that her office will strictly monitor compliance with the 70-20-10 requirements, which means that 70 percent of any increase in tuition should go to the upgrading of school equipment, 20 percent to the acquisition of textbooks and other equipment, and 10 percent for salary upgrade of the faculty. Among the schools that have already filed their petition were the Saint Theresa College have filed an increase of 5 percent, Saint Joseph College (10 percent), Trinity University of Asia (8 percent), Ateneo de Manila (6 percent), Malate Catholic School (11 percent), University of the East (10 percent) and Letran (10 percent). - GMANews.TV