Why is it that free tuition is still not a thing in public colleges and universities?
A recent Pulse Asia survey stated that almost all Filipinos support that public colleges and universities should have free tuition.
This initiative is being pushed with the aim that through this, education will be more accessible to more students. Based on the report from The Philippine Star, 98 percent of Filipinos surveyed support the free tuition law at the tertiary level.
The survey was commissioned by Senate basic education panel chairperson Sherwin Gatchalian. Aside from the aim to make college education accessible to more students, correspondents also believe that this will help improve the student’s skills.
However, for financial reasons, only 0.4 percent of the respondents chose this answer to support free tuition in public tertiary education institutions. The Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act was enacted in 2018 and this already helped a lot of students but SUCs that are providing this are limited in number.
It is known to many Filipinos that the common reason why a student can no longer pursue a college education is because of financial problems. Some opted to find low-paying jobs after high school. Sadly, there are some who do not finish their secondary education at all thinking that they will never have the chance to reach the college level.
Back in August, Finance Chief Benjamin Diokno said that free tertiary education in SUCs is “unsustainable” and “consumes a lot of funds.” This was slammed by lawmakers and I think he deserves that criticism.
Why is this so Mr. Diokno? Is it because other aspects of the country that need budget are more sustainable and do not consume a lot of funds?
Jose Rizal said that “ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng ating bayan,” then, why can’t we take more risk for the future leaders of the country. They need to be educated, and equipped for where the future may lead them. These young people’s potential should be explored and enhanced but sadly, this will not happen if they have no access to further their knowledge.
I just hope the government will come up with a realistic, sustainable, and long-lasting program for the young generation. Hopefully, also, the youth will use their knowledge to help hone the generation that follows them for a better future.