BAGUIO CITY – Ten higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Cordillera will be increasing their respective tuition and other school fees ranging from .64 to a whooping 20 percent for schoolyear 2015-2016 after the Cordillera office of the Commission on HigherEducation (CHED-CAR) interposed no objection to most of the tuition fee increase proposals of most of the schools after their compliance to the major documentary and consultation requirements.
Patrocio Dinamling, CHED-CAR education supervisor 2, said six universities and colleges in Baguio City, two in the nearby town of La Trinidad, Benguet, one in Tabuk City, Kalinga and one in Bangued, Abra were given the ‘green light’ to increase their respective tuition and other school fees for the coming schoolyear to cope with the increasing expenses to sustain their operations among others.
Dinamling disclosed the Catholic-run St. Louis University (SLU) will be implementing the biggest tition fee increase to its students imposing a 20 percent tuition fee hike for incoming freshmen, College of Law and Doctorate programs while 10 percent increase will be imposed on other program offerings.
On the other hand, University of Baguio (UB), University of the Cordilleras (UC), STI College, Pines City Colleges (PCC) and the Tabuk City-based Cordillera A+ Computer Tech College will be imposing a 5 percent increase to their respective tuition and miscellaneous school fees for incoming freshmen.
Further, the Baguio School of Business and Trade (BSBT) College will be increasing its tuition and other school fees for incoming freshmen by 4.81 percent while the Bangued-based Abra Valley Colleges will be increasing its tuition and other school fees also for incoming freshmen by 4.7 percent for the coming schoolyear.
The La Trinidad-based King’s College of the Philippines will be increasing its tuition fee for incoming freshmen by 1.72 percent while the Cordillera Career Development College (CCDC) will be implementing the least increase on its tuition fee for incoming freshmen by only .64 percent.
Dinamling cited the schools that will be increasing their respective tuition and miscellaneous school fees this coming schoolyear were able to comply with the documentary and consultation requirements pursuant to the timetable prescribed under existing laws, rules and regulations.
At least 70 percent of the increase to be imposed on the tuition and school fees must be used by the HEI for the improvement of school facilities and the purchase of laboratory equipment to advance the learning condition of students, 20 percent will be added to the compensation of instructors while 10 percent will accrue to the return of investment if the school has been declared a profit institution.
Under existing guidelines, HEIs intending to increase their tuition and other school fees for the coming schoolyear must be able to complete the required consultations with stakeholders before February 28 of every year and that CHED must always be notified on the conduct of such consultations 15 days before to allow them to send their representatives to such consultations.
By Dexter A. See
