With the renegotiation of its CBA scheduled in 2004, the UST Faculty Union said another round of tuition increase is a possibility next school year.
The CBA signed in 2001, provides for the increases in the faculty members’ current salaries including economic, social, and political benefits. This school year is the third of the CBA’s implementation.
“Next year we are supposed to negotiate again the economic provision, which will mean of course that there will be another round of tuition increase,” Tadle said.
“In order for UST to increase the (faculty members’) salary, the only way is to increase the tuition. But as to how much will depend on the negotiation,” Tadle said.
Tadle also said that given the quality of education that the University offers, the salaries of professors here are small compared to schools such as De La Salle University and Ateneo De Manila University.
“Given the quality of education of UST, with all the centers of excellence and results of regulatory examinations, mababa ang suweldo ng mga nagtuturo dito. That is why napa-pirate ang mga teachers. Let us not deprive our teachers of better pay which they deserve and is their right given the effort that they exert,” he said.
Furthermore, Tadle said the number of first year enrollees in the University increased indicating that a lot of students are willing to pay higher fees for quality education.
“Every year naman nag-i-increase eh. Pero, marami pa rin ang pumapasok sa University. It only means that the students can afford and parents would not mind paying for their children’s quality education,” he explained.
In addition, Tadle emphasized that even though the University regularly raises tuition UST ensures that quality education is maintained as errant professors are given the pink slip.
He also said that the University has also increased the number of scholarship grants for deserving Thomasians. Mary Abigail S. Austriaco and Ma. Cristina S. Lavapie
