THE Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture has asked the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) to assist in the accreditation of 15 local government-run universities and colleges to make them eligible to offer free education.
Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, who chairs the panel, said the intent was expand the pool of student beneficiaries of the free-tuition law.
“Mahalaga ang papel ng mga lokal na pamantasan at mga kolehiyo upang gawing abot-kaya ang de-kalidad na edukasyon (Local government-run universities and colleges play a valuable role in making quality education attainable),” Mr. Gatchalian was quoted as saying in a statement Sunday.
“Ang layunin natin ay masigurong naipapatupad natin nang wasto ang batas upang makinabang dito ang bawat kabataang Filipino (The goal is to ensure proper implementation of the law to benefit all Filipino youth).”
Mr. Gatchalian was among the authors of Republic Act No. 10963, or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
He noted that 76 local universities and colleges (LUCs) started offering free tuition and other educational subsidies since the law’s enactment in 2017.
Recently, the Commission signed an agreement with the Unified Student Financial System for Tertiary Education and 27 LUCs that will be offering free education for academic years 2019-2021.
This leaves 15 LUCs, which Mr. Gatchalian said CHEd should work with “to help them meet their prerequisites and become eligible to offer free tuition and subsidies.”
The law requires LUCs to comply with certain standards before they can offer free tuition. — Charmaine A. Tadalan
