Tuition fees Debate

By Gonzalo Duque

AS WE foresaw it, Dr. Lucio Tan, El Kapitan and mega business mogul made good his word in sending any form of help or assistance to our beloved Dagupan City after his visit to Dagupan three weeks ago.

He recently sent his donation of a water treatment machine designed to keep our drinking water safe. His donation was coursed thru our friend, George Cham.

Dagupan City’s adopted son did an act that was Christian.  It was perfect timing because of the calamitous times.

Thank you, Dr. Tan.

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There’s so much fuss over tuition fees these days. No wonder because it’s enrolment time.

Let’s talk about tuition fees candidly. We in the education field view the public clamor for lower tuition fees with understanding as well as alarm.  Government officials understand well that any increase in taxes just like any increase in tuition fees will be met with resistance if not outright protest.

Let’s praise President Arroyo for putting her foot down on tuition fee hike, but she was smart enough to limit the playing field to state colleges and universities. She knows   it would be very sensitive and even volatile to ask the private schools to simply toe the line.  Being an economist par excellence, she is aware of the implications any increase or decrease in tuition fees.

We, too, have taken a long view of the matter.  As president of the Philippine Colleges and Universities (PACU), we have been holding consultations with education officials and other sectors on the matter.  Let’s not forget that under our free enterprise system, we are careful not to antagonize the goose that lays the golden eggs – private business.  This is why we understand the predicament of our brother, Health Secretary Pingkoy, over the issue  of  private hospitals  threatening  to stage  a holiday (close shop) in light of  popular clamor  to  penalize hospitals that reject  non paying patients.

It’s a big headache, and  this is where  the beauty of our democratic precepts comes in  because matters of public welfare and public interest can be intelligently discussed  and effect  the most acceptable courses of action.

Now back to the sensitive tuition fee issue. It was a most commendable act that the President has done her best vis-a-vis the state colleges and universities. But in regard to the private schools, all she could do was to appeal, knowing the issue which could go all the way down to the very life of the educational institution itself.

Our having been thrust into the vortex of  education  and  being  involved in running a university has given us a ringside insight  – and commanding view  as well – of the myriad of   problems affecting the economics and politics of the Philippine  private educational system.  It really isn’t right that we can simply ask the schools to lower tuition fees. The days of abusive universities, those who can charge high fees arbitrarily, are gone.  What the President and, for that matter, the national government is trying to do is to act as a referee so that the system remains viable and in good shape. The catch word is consultation. We have been guided by this policy in the PACU. We assure the public the best options are being taken for the greatest public interest. 

You see, in our philosophy class, we were  always inspired by what  Socrates – the father of philosophy —   has  advised enlightened individuals to follow all the time: to aspire for the greatest good for the greatest number at all times.       

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As an aside, we caution those who want to play heroes at the expense of common sense and pragmatism with regard to the Board of Nursing’s plan to add more subjects and lump all this up to the students.

As they say, it is not the quantity but quality that matters. The competency of teachers and their methods of imparting knowledge are more relevant.

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NOTES:  The handsome face of Ermin Garcia was all over the university belt in Bicol recently. How come? Because when school officials asked us for our picture to be included in a tarpaulin being a guest speaker, we advised them to get it from the internet.  The pictures they chose from in the Punch internet were those of Ermin Garcia, Gerry Garcia, Jun Velasco, Al Mendoza and us. They picked Ermin’s foto. So there.  Sorry, ha, Ermin. Pero may utang ka sa akin. Naging popular at sikat ka sa Bicol.

(Readers may reach columnist at punch.sunday@gmail.com. For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/playing-with-fire/ For reactions to this column, click “Send MESSAGES, OPINIONS, COMMENTS” on default page.)

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