Four HEIs in Pangasinan to implement free college law

• Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1007322
• Tuesday, May 1, 2018

By Elsha Marie Soriano (ajc/EMBS/PIA-1, Pangasinan)

DAGUPAN CITY (PIA) -- Students and out-of-school youths in Pangasinan have more reasons now to pursue their college education in the coming academic year as higher educational institutions (HEI) which include three universities and one college in the province will implement the free college law.

Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, one of the principal sponsors of the free college law, said students and out-of-school youths who wish to study on the coming school year may enroll in Pangasinan State University (PSU), University of Eastern Pangasinan, Urdaneta City University and Binalonan Community College.

Angara said under Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, the government subsidy, with the initial funding of P40 billion, will cover the tuition, miscellaneous and other school fees of students enrolled in 112 state universities and colleges (SUCs), 78 local universities and colleges (LUCs) and all technical-vocational education and training (TVET) center accredited by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

“Kung dati and pangarap ng bawat lower-income families ay magkaroon ng kahit isang graduate na siyang tutulong mag-ahon sa pamilya sa kahirapan, ngayon lahat na ng ating mga anak ay may pagkakataon nang makapagtapos sa kolehiyo,” said Angara on Friday as he visited Pangasinan to attend the Bangus Festival here.

Angara noted that a lot of students drop out of college because they do not have the ability to pay for tuition fees and other fees for all four years.

“Making college tuition fees and all other fees free would eliminate this reason for not graduating,” Angara added.

Based on the 2016 survey of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), 3.8 million Filipinos are out-of-school children or youths.

More than three million or 87 percent of the above mentioned data are 16-24 years old, eight percent are 12 to 15 years old and five percent are 6-11 years old.

At least 53 percent of out-of-school children or youths belong to the country’s poorest families.