UPM Kilos Na Laban sa Socialized

Tuition System at Tuition Increase

The University of the Philippines recently implemented the Socialized Tuition System (STS) which was
approved by the UP Board of Regents last December 2013. Its assumed improvements and benefits include
the following: speeding up of the process of availing for tuition discounts, adjusted the income brackets of the
student applicants, and increase in stipend. As per UP administration, more UP students now benefit from
STS. But what is the genuine nature of STS?

de-facto tuition increase

Tracing the history of socialized tuition schemes in UP, reforms have only translated to tuition increase. The
Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP), which was replaced by STS, was implemented
in 1989 in line with the increase in tuition (from Php40 to Php300 per unit) and other fees. In 2007, the
alphabetic bracketing scheme (A-E2) replaced the numeric bracketing scheme (1-9) after the 300% tuition
increase approved by the Board of Regents in December 2006. The default bracket then is Php1,000 per unit.
In 2012, the Bracket B Certification was institutionalized and it effectively increased the default bracket of those
who do not apply for this to Bracket A.

Upon the implementation of STS, the default tuition rate was set at Php1,500 per unit. Tuition discounts are
provided at rates that are based on the assessment of the household income and socio-economic
characteristics of the student. Failure to apply online will automatically charge the student with no tuition
discount.

hard to budgetstipends do not come wholly in cash

Students who will be granted Full Discount + Stipend will receive a monthly allowance of Php3,500 for two (2)
semesters. However, as per the website of STS, the said monthly allowance may also be in the form of
dormitory privilege and/or meal coupon. In the case of UP Manila, there are neither food concessionaires nor
public dormitories in the campus. Also, the increase in stipend does not cover those students admitted to the
university before 2014. In other words, upperclassmen at the same level shall receive a monthly allowance of
Php2,400 for two (2) semesters.

more high-paying students due to decentralized budgeting

The principle of socialized tuition schemes, such as STFAP and STS, is for high-paying students to subsidize
those who receive tuition discounts or under lower brackets. And there goes the comic story that the latter are
called as "iskolar ng iskolar ng bayan." However in STS, budgeting is decentralizedincome generated from
this scheme is collected and utilized per unit. With this, all UP units are now in dire pressure to assign more
students in higher tuition brackets to subsidize those who enjoy substantial tuition discounts.

vague options and unjust deliberation

Worse than STFAP, STS does not consider the liabilities, predicted family income, and desired tuition discount
of the student. Moreover, it merely assesses the socio-economic status of the student based on the area
where his/her household is located, vehicles owned, type of fuel used for cooking, type of toilet facility, type of
main water source, and other items and facilities owned. The online questionnaire is very particular on the
socio-economic household characteristics yet it does not even consider the job nature and regularity of the
household members. In general, students are explicitly assumed rich unless proven otherwise.

The mere fact that the application and appeal process is online is discriminatory to those who do not have
regular internet access. Appeals are also limited to 1,000 characters onlya small amount compared to the
number of students who cry for quality and accessible education.

manifestation of state abandonment on education

Aside from being a smokescreen for tuition increase, STS is an income-generating project brought about by
the annual budget cuts in UP as well as other state universities and colleges (SUCs). This is pursuant to the
Aquino governments Roadmap for Public Higher Education Reform (RPHER) program which aims to gradually
reduce state spending by 50% on tertiary education by 2016 and push SUCs to be self-sufficient.

The Aquino government does not and has no plans of fulfilling its obligation, as provided in the 1987 Philippine
Constitution, to protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and take
appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.

Dont just rant and appeal, strike the tuition hike!

UP students expressed their disappointment over the result of Socialized Tuition System in social networking
sites such as Twitter and Facebook by tweeting and posting status updates with the hashtag #BracketAKaNa.
Though STS addressed the long process of STFAP, apparently, it did not solve mismatches between assigned
brackets and the actual financial capacity of the students. There was even a case wherein two siblings got
different tuition discounts.

We, iskolars ng bayan, should not settle for mere reformism and compromise. To rant and appeal is not
enough. But rather, we should formulate an alternative and permanent solutionquality and free education
through collective action.

We have witnessed the victories achieved by our collective action back in 2010 and 2011 when the university
was threatened of substantial budget cuts by the Aquino government. This time, we will no longer hold back
and we will strike again for everyones right to quality and free education.

Join the University-Wide Walkout on August 15.

EDUCATION IS A RIGHT! EDUCATION FOR ALL!
JUNK THE SOCIALIZED TUITION SYSTEM!
OPPOSE TUITION AND OTHER FEES INCREASE!
JUNK THE ROADMAP TO PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION REFORM!
FIGHT FOR SUFFICIENT STATE SUBSIDY ON EDUCATION!

UPM Kilos Na is a broad and comprehensive multi-sectoral alliance of students, faculty, REPS, workers, administrators,
and staff in the UPM-PGH community that campaigns for sufficient state subsidy for health, education, and other basic
social services.