DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 10, 2012) – The Kabataan party list on Friday launched the “Kabataan Hotline” to gather complaints from parents and students on schools that collect exorbitant fees and tuitions, among other violations.
The hotline numbers are phone (082) 2216589 and mobile 0929-5367113.
“We launched the hotline in order to reach out to parents and students from all over Davao City and to collect reports of violations by Higher Educational Institutions with regards to the collection of fees. We now have an initial report of private HEIs that violated the tuition consultation policy. We will definitely file complaints against these schools this month,” Ronnie Clarion, regional spokesperson for Kabataan party list in Southern Mindanao, said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in Southern Mindanao previously said that 20 private HEIs applied for tuition increase in Davao Region and that 13 of these are in Davao City. CHED set the deadline of consultations for tuition increase on February 28.
“There is no genuine and democratic consultation in the circumstance in which the school administration would only present their proposal to the students with no alternative. CHED and the HEIs act as if the so-called consultation is a mere procession,” Clarion said.
Clarion also urged college students and their parents to report any violations on tuition and miscellaneous fees to Kabataan party list’s ‘Kabataan Hotline’.
Clarion said: “The tuition hike freeze remains the resounding demand of parents and students. CHED allows yearly increase of tuition and other fees to the detriment of millions of students who are forced to drop out. Because of CHED’s apparent softness to these HEIs, we are expecting massive complaints or reports from students and parents alike.”
“The degrading quality of education system because of state neglect leaves us with no choice but to counter it with militancy and vigilance. The youth are prepared to do actions in order make CHED and the Aquino government fulfill the people’s demand for quality and accessible education.”
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