The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) on Wednesday reported that the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (Republic Act 10931) has led to unintended consequences on private higher education institutions (HEIs) despite receiving initial praise for expanding college access.
PIDS research found that while the free tuition law led to an enrollment surge in HEIs, it “exacerbated the decline of private institutions—a sector that still forms the majority of the country’s academic landscape.”
According to PIDS Senior Research Fellow Dr. Connie Bayudan-Dacuycuy, enrollment in public HEIs grew by 4 percent annually from 2009 to 2019, while private HEIs saw only a smaller 0.8-percent increase.
“The share of private HEIs declined from 79 percent in 2009 to 72 percent in 2019,” Bayudan-Dacuycuy said.
PIDS said these trends point to a growing imbalance: “While free tuition has made education more accessible, it has also redirected enrollment away from private HEIs, putting their financial viability at risk.”
In response, the PIDS Senior Research Fellow suggested replacing the blanket free tuition model with a voucher system that would give students more options and promote healthy competition between public and private HEIs.
“The government could implement a voucher system, allowing qualified students to choose their schools and programs… It would enhance complementarity between public and private HEIs and address perceptions of policy bias favoring public institutions,” Bayudan-Dacuycuy said.
