CHED’s extra year on tertiary education denies Filipino youth's right

"This is an utter denial of the Filipino youths’ right to education as enshrined in the Philippine Constitution,” Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Luz Ilagan said condemning the Commission on Higher Education’s proposal to add an extra year to tertiary education.

“With the ongoing of global financial crisis, this move will guarantee the unprecedented increase in the number of out-of-school youth, as only a very few will be able to afford university education due to the high tuition and other fees.”

Studies have already shown that only 40 percent of high school graduates will be able to pursue a college education.

Cohort survival rate in college is only 63.88 percent, while completion rate is only 58.62 percent.

Even public tertiary institutions, Ilagan said, will be inaccessible to the Filipino youth, because of the government’s authorization for state universities and colleges to increase tuition in the past few years, despite massive protests staged by students, parents and teachers.

“This is an obvious move to further commercialize education in the Philippines: an attempt to salvage their businesses from their self-initiated crisis of low enrolment and high dropout rates.”

“It is also GMA's continuing pursuit of labor export policy, as increasing the number of years in college is her government's response to the demand for OFWs abroad.”

To be made into five-year courses are the in-demand courses in other courses such as Nursing, Physical Therapy and Education.

“CHED and the Philippine government should be held in contempt for condemning Filipinos to a life of uneducated-ness, as manifested in giving low priority to state education, particularly in yearly budget cut.”