Rise for Education Alliance
The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) Cebu chapter and the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) Visayas organized the Rise for Education Alliance orientation yesterday at the University of the Philippines Cebu school campus.
“Rise for Education” is a budding alliance of various student councils, student publications, youth organizations, members of the academe, parents, out-of-school youths and individuals from different sectors calling for quality education that is free and accessible for all.
“We firmly believe that education is a right,” France Kevin Degamo, vice-chairperson of UP Supreme Student Council. According to him, education is now a thing to be sold and to be paid for when in fact it should be free for all. He elaborated how students now face a commercialized education.
According to the data presented, 12 out of 367 or 9% of Higher Education Institutes (HEI) who requested for a tuition fee increase last academic year 2012-2013 were approved, four of which is coming from the Visayas.
In connection to tuition and other fee increase (TOFI), a comparison of the minimum wage of average Filipino laborers (P327) shows that it is twice the average cost for tertiary education (P656), a factor that leads to many students not being able to afford it.
fees collected by majority colleges are dubbed as redundant, exorbitant and dubious (RED) fees. Examples of these are the “power plant development fee” and “donation fees” collected by some colleges and its exact allotment is questionable and somehow obsolete.
The status of the wages of teachers and non-teaching faculty, tuition fee increases and of school facilities, student repressions in relation to the case of the four USC students facing a complaint from the USC administration and risking expulsion were also noted.
Rise for Education Alliance intends to protect citizens’ right to quality relevant education, to bring forth a change on how education is treated, viewed and being provided and to acquire accessible education that will develop every youth holistically. Rise for Education calls for no tuition and other fee increases. Uphold student’s democratic rights, to fight for academic freedom and an allotment of a greater subsidy for public education.
Representatives from Dynamic Communications Society (DYNACOM), Asian College of Technology, University of San Carlos, University of the Philippines, Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP), Junior Philippine Institute of Accountants (JPIA), Junior Financial Executives (JFINEX), Anakbayan and people from other organizations attended the said orientation.
The orientation ended with the distribution of certificates and the gathering of individual and group support for the alliance.
