NextGen Day

Paul Daza, the representative for Northern Samar’s 1st District, requested on Wednesday that the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) payables to the private institutions be immediately reimbursed by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the economic managers to avert their potential closure.

Daza made this statement after the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) revealed via congressional hearings that TES payables to various schools have already reached PHP6 billion.

The Higher Education Development Fund (HEDF) presently possesses PHP10.1 billion in unspent funds; it was also disclosed.

The attrition rate for Academic Years (AY) 2017–2021 increased to a startling 47.61 percent across all Higher Education Institution (HEI) categories (state, local, and private), according to the most recent data from the CHED, he claimed. This represents a 9.78 percent increase from the attrition rate for AY 2016–2021, which was 37.83 percent.

“So regrettable and depressing,” said the speaker, “Nakakapanghinayang at nakakalungkot.” We have the resources to make a change. The question now is whether CHED and DBM have the motivation to take the necessary action. They have the authority to make use of the HEDF. He claimed that we have one of the best laws on free education, if not the best, but we’re wasting it because of bad implementation.

Rodrigo Duterte, the former president, signed Republic Act 10931, also known as “The Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act,” on August 3, 2017, and it became law in 2018.

“To pass a law like this, there had to be a strong political will. We know fewer than 30 nations worldwide offer free tertiary education, many of which are developed or upper-middle-income nations. We are among the fortunate. But it appears we are squandering this fantastic opportunity,” Daza stated.

He questioned, “Do we have to wait until these schools shut down before we decide to pay them?”

Free college tuition in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) was mandated by RA 10931.

The law also acknowledges that participants in the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) “Listahanan,” 4Ps, and other programs for the poor should receive TES in addition to the free tuition, which ranges from PHP40,000 (SUCs) to PHP60,000 (private colleges) per year to support their living expenses.

The General Appropriations Act (GAA) for 2021, 2022, and 2023 does not include funding for new TES beneficiaries, as CHED Region 1 (Ilocos) Director Danilo Bose recently revealed. Only students in their third and fourth years of college received TES funding from CHED.

The Listahanan categorizes poor families, including 4Ps beneficiaries, by current legislation.

Only 12,000 of the approximately 1 million students on the DSWD’s 2019 list of potential TES beneficiaries received assistance.

The World Economic Forum (2022), according to Daza, estimates that children face a risk of losing USD17 trillion in lifetime earnings in present value, or around 14% of the current world gross domestic product (GDP), “because of Covid-19-related school closures and economic shocks.”

“This makes it even more important for us to prioritize education. It is necessary to end the ingrained practice or culture of deprioritizing education. According to Daza, reforms are required, and we can start with CHED.

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