There is no reason for the Aquino administration not to allocate P15 billion for free education of students enrolled in state universities and colleges if it can afford to spend P10 billion to host the recently concluded Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila, according to Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“The government can afford to fund the education of all students enrolled in SUCs if education is truly a key priority under this administration,” said Marcos.
He said all the government has to do is to allot P15 billion for scholarships and grants-in-aid out of the over P2-trillion 2016 budget instead of constantly shaving the funds for SUCs.
“I think we can do this and many people would benefit. This is the right time all SUC students in the Philippines have free education. This is not impossible. We studied the budget. P15 billion will pay for all the students for free tertiary education,” he explained.
Marcos said there is a need to implement a large scale scholarship/student aid program in the country and institutionalize reforms in the educational system.
“That is why we are looking at the budget and looking at what we can do for education. That is why I have been proposing these measures that some may see as radical but actually aren’t. These are the measures we need to push. These are the initiatives that we need to fight for.”
The senator from Ilocos Norte said giving free college education would greatly benefit those who have the potential to succeed in life but are impeded by poverty and their inability to get an education supported by the SUCs.
Marcos said the data of Commission on Higher Education showed that the 547 SUCs in the country are all subsidized by the government, yet students still have to pay tuition.
CHED figures also showed that a total of 1.4 million students were enrolled in SUCs for the school year 2013-2014.
Apart from free college education in SUCs, Marcos is also pushing for an increased support for public school teachers whom he described as a crucial factor in improving the country’s educational system.
The government spent around P10 billion for its year-long hosting of the Apec summit, held in several areas like Metro Manila, Cebu, Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga, Iloilo, Tagaytay, and Boracay Island.
Abakada Party-List Rep. Jonathan dela Cruz supported the advocacy of Marcos, saying his group is also pushing the increase in funding not only for the growing college population in the country but also those enrolled in technical and vocational schools as well.
“In addition, one of our initiatives has been the expansion of the student loan program to include more financial institutions to support the SUCs as this has been very effective based on the experience of the United States,” he said.
Dela Cruz said his group is also pushing the rationalization of the proliferation of locally funded colleges and universities to ensure that these are sustainable and meet the growing needs of the students in the tertiary level.