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Higher budget, tuition freeze top youth groups’ 8-point education agenda

On his proclamation day, Kabataan Partylist together with youth and student groups presented to President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III an eight-point agenda aimed at resolving the worsening education crisis.

“Gloria Arroyo will leave behind the most shameful and tragic legacy for Philippine education characterized by the lowest education spending, yearly tuition hikes, the highest dropout rate, unresolved corruption, disrespect of students’ democratic rights and freedoms and a systematic neglect of the government of the education sector,” said Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raymond Palatino.

“The youth is expecting much from President-elect Noynoy Aquino who, during the campaign period, avowed to include education amongst his top priorities if elected into office, and who, on the eve of his proclamation, declared that he is counting on the youth to take a more active role in society for change.”

Palatino particularly reminded Pres. Aquino of his promise to allot six (6) 6 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the education budget as prescribed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Allotment of six (6) percent of the GDP to the education budget is topmost in the 8-point education agenda presented by youth groups, as follows:

1. Increase state spending on education to six (6) percent of the GDP.

a. Utilize increased government revenues to fill the various gaps in the education sector like the shortages in classrooms, books, computers and other learning tools.

b. Repudiate payment for anomalous debt contracts. Realign a significant portion of debt servicing and Malacanang intelligence funds to education services.

2. Implement a three-year moratorium on tuition and other fee increases in all levels.

3. Promote a nationalist curriculum.

a. Adopt Filipino and vernacular language as the medium of instruction.
b. Make History and Human Rights Education mandatory.
c. Strengthen community service courses at all levels.

d. Ensure that vocational/technical education match the actual needs of the local economy. Reform medical and nursing education to meet community health needs.

4. Uphold democratic rights of students

a. Establish student councils and campus publications in all schools nationwide.
b. Expand student participation in decision-making processes. Ensure student representation in policy-making bodies and institutions.

5. Improve teachers’ welfare.

6. Improve science, research and technology development.

7. Promote transparency and sanction corruption cases in education programs and contracts.

8. Review existing policies and institutions of education.

a. Repeal Education Act of 1982.
b. Repeal Campus Journalism Act of 1991.

c. Revamp the government policy of reducing the budget of state universities and colleges.

d. Review and strengthen the regulatory powers of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Education (DepEd)

“What the youth and the country need is a president who will decisively implement concrete changes and who has the political will to instill fundamental educational reforms,” Palatino said.

The youth solon said that Aquino would fare better where Arroyo had failed if he immediately fulfills his promise to earmark at least 20 percent of the national budget to education as well as enact a tuition hike moratorium. “It is time to implement a tuition freeze after the yearly spate of increases for the past nine years,” Palatino said.

Under the Arroyo administration, according to data from the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP), the national average tuition rate increased by 94.7 percent, from P257.41 in 2001-2002 to P501.22 this school year. The National Capital Region average rate, on the other hand, increased by 95.54 percent, from P439.59 to P855.20 in 2009.

”For so many years, the government has failed to regulate tuition increases because of the Education Act of 1982 which grants free reign to school-owners to hike their tuition due to a policy of deregulation. As a result, government agencies such as the CHED and DepEd have been deemed toothless and useless in curbing yearly tuition hikes,” Palatino said.

Kabataan Partylist and other youth groups are set to greet school opening on June 15 with protest actions to push for the 8-point education agenda. ###