MANILA, Philippines – For the next 5 years, state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local universities and colleges (LUCs) will not be allowed to increase tuition and other fees.

Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (Unifast) officer-in-charge Carmelita Yadao-Sison on Tuesday, June 19 said this is to give way to the government’s review of the implementation of Republic Act (RA) 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act. (READ: 8 things you need to know about the free tuition law)

“May fund implication ‘yan. Hindi pwede pataas-taas, pababa, (There are funding implications. It cannot go up and down) because the government is studying how much it will need to budget for these fees in the coming years and it cannot have a running balance,” she said at press conference during the nationwide information caravan on RA 10931 at Batangas City. 

Sison reminded SUCs and LUCs not to raise tuition and other fees as provided for in the transitory provisions of RA 1093. She also said tuition and other fees from the first semester of school year (SY) 2017-2018 will be maintained in the meantime.

During the 5-year period of review, the government hopes to determine a standard amount that will replace tuition and other school fees in order to “establish a more equitable allocation of resources” for schools and students.

 “Across the board, all these fees wherever you are will be the same. Hindi ba fair ho iyan? (Isn’t that fair?) The understanding is that the standards will now be similar and the same all throughout, guided by CHED (Commission on Higher Education) policy standards pero minimum lang ho yung amin (but it is only the minimum),” Sison said. 

According to Sison, an external company will be tapped to do a “composite fees study.” This company’s task is to determine tuition and fees “that will be rationally and reasonably charged and will be good for all.” 

The selection of the 3rd-party company will pass through the usual government procurement processes, she said.

The government has allotted about P41 billion for the implementation of RA 10931 for SY 2018-2019. (READ: CHED launches free tuition law IRR)

This amount will shoulder the tuition and fees of students enrolled in 112 SUCs, 78 LUCs, and technical-vocation education and training programs registered under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. – Rappler.com