“IMAGINATIVE” FEES

I’m a product of both public and private schools from kinder to college. I finished elementary and high school education both on public school; then I take Computer Science course in a State University and Nursing in a private school for second coursers. During my college days, I still remember how much I pay for the miscellaneous fees in PLM (Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila); it’s less than a hundred bucks.

Yesterday, I was shocked when I heard on the news that there are private schools allegedly collecting payments from their students’ various kinds of miscellaneous fees such as resume printing fees, thesis proposal fees, band fees, stones and pebbles fees, spiritual development fees, publicity and promotions fees, affiliation fees, cultural fees and computerization fees. If you’re going to sum up all of these dubious, unreasonable fees, you can have another student enroll to college. This will burden our parents and the people who support our education apparently for unfathomable reasons.

Kabataan party-list Rep. Raymond Palatino specifically cited the collection of some schools of band fee (University of Nueva Caceres), thesis proposal fee (St. Scholastica's College), thesis editing fee (St. Scholastica's College), resume printing (St. Scholastica's College), memorabilia fee (Polytechnic University of the Philippines), Pistang Pinoy fee (Letran), and communication fee (Central Luzon State University).

Palatino, who was joined by National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) and the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines (SCAP), noted that there are colleges and universities that collect energy fees separate from aircon fees, and sports fees apart from athletic fees.

Aside from these, SCAP National Capital Region vice chairperson Ranulfo Javelosa III also revealed that there was a school in Isabela that collects a founder's day fee.

If you’re going to sum up all of these dubious, unreasonable fees, you can have another student enroll to college. This will burden our parents and the people who support our education apparently for unfathomable reasons.

There is really a need for Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to regulate tuition rates because this will definitely increase drop out rates. Actually, I’m not against the collection of miscellaneous fees but some of these fees are unreasonable. Some schools don't (even) provide a breakdown. There should be a cap on tuition or other fees, and they should draw up a uniform classification of miscellaneous fees that should be allowed.

We should always remember what Dr. Jose Rizal said, “Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng ating Inang Bayan”, but this will remain a dream if we will not act to do something about their education. Like my mother will always remind me, “Ang iyong edukasyon lamang ang tanging kayamanan na maiiwan ko sa’yo na kailanman ay hindi mananakaw ng sinuman, ito rin ang siya mong sandata saan ka man mapunta”.