Philippinen: Präsident unterschreibt Gesetz zur gebührenfreien Bildung
Duterte signs free tuition bill into law
President Rodrigo Duterte signed on August 3 a new law providing free
Republic Act 10931 or "Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act,"
which Congress ratified in May and was transmitted to the Office of the
President on July 5, gives full tuition subsidy for students in State
Universities and Colleges (SUCs), local universities and colleges, and state-run
technical-vocational schools.
The law also covers other charges,
namely "library fees, computer fees, laboratory fees, school ID fees,
athletic fees, admission fees, development fees, guidance fees, handbook fees,
entrance fees, registration fees, medical and dental fees, cultural and other
similar or related fees."
It also provides subsidies or stipend for poor
students and establishes a student loan program.
However, students with
financial capacity may choose not to avail OF the subsidies through a mechanism
created by the SUCs and local universities and colleges or LUCs.
The new
law continues the administration's initiative in the 2017 budget, where around
P8 billion was allotted for free tuition for SUCs for school year 2017-2018.
In addition, the Commission on Higher Education announced on June 16 it would
be offering cash grants for medical students in public medical
schools.
Guevarra said Duterte found that the long-term benefits of the
law outweigh any short-term budget challenges.
"Free tertiary education
in state universities and colleges is a very strong pillar of the President's
social development policy," he said.
The 2018 budget currently does not
have any provisions for free tuition for public tertiary schools. However,
Guevarra said adjustments can still be made during the budget
deliberations.
"Whether we need to convince the economic managers, that
won't be necessary at all," he said. "This is now a law and everyone has to look
forward to implement this law, whether or not you were originally opposed to it,
that is now beside the point."
Questions over cost
Guevarra's statement comes after Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno told
lawmakers on August 2 that subsidizing tuition in public tertiary schools would
be too costly.
"In the absence of any law, we cannot appropriate money
for free tuition," he said. "We estimate that the cost of this bill, it will
cost us something around ₱100 billion. Hindi po kaya ng gobyerno 'yan [The
government cannot afford that]."
Diokno added only middle-class and
upper-class students would benefit from the scheme.
"Only 12 percent of
the poor get to the state universities, 12 percent, and when you say free
tuition, you are actually subsidizing the rich," he said.
However,
opposition lawmakers said in an August 3 statement the free tuition law would
cost only around ₱15 billion.
"Hindi po totoo ang sinabi ng economic
managers na hindi kayang tustusan ng gobyerno," said Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos
Zarate. "Napatunayan natin ngayong taon, may pondo para sa state universities
and colleges. Hindi nila pwede sabihin na ngayong taon 'di kayang
pondohan."
[Translation: The economic managers' claim that the
government can't afford to subsidize tuition fees is not true. We've proven this
year that there is money for state universities and colleges. They can't say
this year that there's no more money.]
Zarate added if the government
could set aside ₱8-9 trillion for its "Build, Build, Build" infrastructure
program, it could easily fund education, which he said is a better
investment.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said the
government needs only around ₱20-25 billion for the law.
"We have
already incorporated ₱8.5 billion from the present General Appropriations Act,"
he said. "And we strongly argued that we need not implement in its entirety the
free tuition fee act on year one. In other words, we can pace it so that the
other aspects of the law can be implemented after year one."
'Win-win' solution
Commission on Higher Education Commissioner Prospero De Vera told CNN
Philippines' Balitaan on August 4 that the agency is proposing a "win-win"
solution to implement the program.
"Yung concern kasi nung economic
managers itong mga nakaraang linggo ay yung fiscal impact [Translation:
The concern of the economic managers these past weeks is the fiscal impact]," he
said.
"Our win-win solution is you stagger the implementation of the
different parts of the bill so that the fiscal impact is not very heavy, but you
continue the legacy of President Duterte of providing free tuition," he added.
"Sa susunod na taon, pwedeng idagdag yung dagdag na ayuda dun sa mahihirap na
mga bata. Yung student loan program, pwede sa 2020, kasi hindi naman
implementable agad 'yan. You have to design a loan
program."
[Translation: Additional subsidies for poor students
can be added in the next year. The student loan program can be implemented in
2020 because that is not immediately implementable. You have to design a loan
program.]
De Vera said based on their computations, the program could
start by subsidizing the tuition fees and miscellaneous fees of students in SUCs
and LUCs, which CHED must first evaluate.
However, he said only 16 out of
111 LUCs have been evaluated so far.
De Vera added that for the second
semester of academic year 2017-2018, which starts in January 2018, the
government will subsidize both tuition and miscellaneous fees in SUCs.
Quelle: CNN Philippines, cnnphilippines.com, 05.08.2017