February 12, 2016, 8:50p.m. – YOUTH activist groups raised questions over school fees as they staged a silent protest in UST earlier today, Feb. 12.
Using banners and signs, the groups protested a pending tuition hike and hit the UST administration for earning excess revenues over the past five years.
Members of the League of Filipino Students-UST Chapter (LFS-UST), Anakbayan-UST and the Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights-UST marched from Quadricentennial Park to Gate 2 at España.
‘Abolish fees’
LFS-UST spokesman Uziel Guthrie Naguit called for the abolition of “other school fees” set by the University, claiming “lack of transparency.”
“Napakaraming kuwestiyonable [sa mga binabayaran]. Mismong ‘yung logic ng pagbayad ng “other school fees” ay kuwestiyonable dahil sa … binabayaran [na] ng mga estudiyante na almost P1,400 per unit,” he told the Varsitarian.
“Dapat 70 percent ay napupunta sa professors, 20 percent for facilities and development, tapos binabawi nila lahat ito sa pagsingil sa atin ng other school fees,” he claimed.
In a statement sent by LFS-UST to the Varsitarian, the group said fees such as the information developmental fee (P1,500), physical infrastructure fee (P1,700), special developmental fee (P600 to P2,000), energy fee (P2,000) and registration fee (P950) were “dubious and ambiguous,” noting that tuition had increased by 88 percent over the past decade.
LFS-UST also claimed other school fees were redundant, such as the case of laboratory subjects where Thomasians are charged a laboratory fee of P574 per unit on top of P2,624 to P2,764 per unit in tuition.
‘Bogus’ consultation?
Naguit also criticized the UST administration for holding “bogus” tuition consultations every year. “Yung consultation, genuine dapat at hindi bogus. Napupunta sa mere presentation ng data ang consultation. Hinihingi po namin ng transparency at genuine consultation,” he said.
Central Student Council President Anna Mangalili for her part said tuition hikes should be justified by the administration.
She pointed out however that UST needed to prepare for the K to 12 transition next academic year, during which freshman enrollment and tuition revenue are expected to decline drastically.
“Ako, ayoko talaga mag-increase, pero consider natin na magkakaroon ng K-12 [transition next academic year]. Magkakaroon talaga ng changes,” she said.
“Tingnan muna natin muna ang reason. Kung magtaas [ang tuition] at hindi justifiable, ipaglalaban natin. Ang mahirap, kahit gaano mo ito ipaglaban, sila pa rin [ang masusunod], pero gagawin pa rin natin ang best natin kaya kailangan rin natin ng involvement from the students,” she added.
Mangalili said there was no schedule yet for the yearly tuition consultation between student council leaders and the administration, because the administration had yet to issue a memorandum on next academic year’s tuition hike. Roy Abrahmn D.R. Narra
