Annual increases in UP tuition
This is not a widely known fact, but last December 15, aside from approving the proposal increasing the tuition of incoming UP students by 300+%, the Board of Regents (BOR) also approved annual tuition increases based on the Philippine’s national inflation rate.
Many of the pro-tuition increase advocates justify their support by claiming that this is more of a pragmatic issue from the side of the university administration rather than an issue of ideological shift. They claim that while the government cannot provide what it needs (a claim we also contend), it’s imperative for the university to source part of its fund from the “scholars” themselves for the meantime. But what does the annual increase in tuition prove? The approval of an annual increase in tuition simply proves right what we’ve been harping all along, that the tuition increase proposal isn’t just an act of “last resort,” it is a total surrender and an ideological submission to the government’s real plan of slowly abandoning its constitutional mandate to provide quality tertiary education to its people, all in part of the national administration’s medium and long-term higher education development plans. An annual tuition increase adjustment ultimately strips the University of the Philippines much of its character as a state university because it permanently mandates the university to source part of its finances from the nation’s university scholars themselves.
It is also important to look at this from a farther perspective. This isn’t just an issue of UP adjusting its tuition because the government can’t provide for all its finances. The approval of UP’s tuition increase has serious implications on other state universities and colleges who all also experience state funding deficiencies. With the premiere state university leading the way of following the government’s higher education development plan, it is expected that other SUC’s will begin more aggressive (since they’re already doing it) means of sourcing funds from commercial means and from the students themselves, through more tuition increases. Which ultimately makes tertiary education less accessible to the poor majority of Filipinos.
This Friday, there will be a demonstration against the tuition increase approval. And don’t feel guilty if you cut your classes on that one day. It is the right of your benefactors, majority of whom are poor, that you’re rallying for anyway.
Annual increase why! hehehe go skip your class and go the Edsa!
kawawa naman ang talagang mahihirap estudyante ng U.P.
It’s not a 300% or 300%+ increase for God’s sake!!! Do your Math.
from P300 to P1,000 (Bracket B)… thats a 333% increase. from P300 to P1,500 (Bracket A)… thats a 500% increase. it is clearly not 300+%, right? surely it is most convenient for you to pick on figures than on the clashing ideas.
You should know that figures are factual. Why would I want to pick on ideas that are elusive, unrealistic, radical per se?
BIKOY: because your figures are simply numerical manifestations of ideological policies
LOL. Natatawa talaga ako sa 333% increase niyo. So does that 333% and 500% tuition fee increase mean P1,200 and P1,800 for Brackets B and A, respectively, taken from the base tuition fee of P300? For example, you have P50, we increase it by 100%. Now it would be P100 right? Right. Rarally, rally hindi marunong mag-add/multiply. Same goes to media, misleading information.
BIKOY: don’t you have other less shallow arguments imbue?
When did misleading information in print media (articles, etc) become a shallow argument? Oh, probably because it’s becoming a norm nowadays. Anti-TOFI’s ideologies may be shallow but that’s a different story altogether. Admit it, I’m correct, and most probably, those who know that it’s not really a 333% or whatever 300%+ increase are probably laughing their asses of you guys.
BIKOY: [emphasis mine]
Uhhh, I hope you get that what I said on the post 2 notches higher regarding anti-TOFI ideologies is based on your statement that my arguments are shallow. We’re talking about the TOFI issue as a whole, so anything regarding would matter and should not be considered “shallow” as you said. And I hope you noticed I used the word(s)/sentence “may” and “that’s a different story altogether.”
so if i say that your argument is shallow, then prove otherwise, imbue. you never brought up any substantial or ideological argument aside from nitpicking.
Buti nga kayong taga UP, 300% lang taas niyo kami na taga EARIST halos 600% ang tinaas namin!! Mula 15pesos per unit ngayon 100pesos na!! sa tuition fee ang babayaran mulang sana ay 500 to 600 ngayon 1132 na, Kaya ang kabuuhan mong fee na babayaran na dapat 700-800 lang ngayun 5500-6000 na!!! ok na lang kung tumaas ang sahod ng mga kamagulangan namin.. At alam naman nating na ang halos lahat ng nag-aaral sa amin ay almost at below poverty line. At least kayo nasa middle class!! kaming mga talagang mahihirap ayun halos pugutan na namin ang presidente namin sa panaginip.
hello! I’m making an article about the TOFI at UP. I’ve learned a lot from your posts. Ilalagay ko ito sa references ko… hehehe… thanks po.
Actually, PUP would be also facing the same problems. May proposal na from our president to increase our tuition fee from 12php per unit to 75… it seems that the PUP community had its victory but I guess it’s only a matter of time before the admin of our school to do some work and approve the proposed TOFI.
Salamat po ulit.