Government approves new round of student fee hikes

Youth groups protested in front of the Commission on Higher Education last week as it announced approval of a new round of tuition and other fee increases for the 2012-13 academic year, writes Vencer Crisostomo for Philippine Online Chronicles.

According to the commission, as many as 256 higher education institutions are set to increase tuition rates by an average of 10% in the coming year. Anakbayan, the National Union of Students of the Philippines, and Kabataan Partylist called on the Aquino government to “be more sensitive” to the plight of the majority of Filipinos, who are poor.

As it is, eight out of 10 students entering college fail to finish studies due to high tuition rates. With increasing poverty and rising prices, youth groups said it was criminal to further hike tuition costs. Various complaints have been filed by youth groups to the commission office regarding fees, but they have apparently been ignored.
Full report on the Philippine Online Chronicles site