Tuition fee increases (TFI) perhaps count among the University policies that are commonly criticized by students, but DLSU itself is no stranger to swelling education expenses.
For Academic Year (AY) 2020-2021, students will see a four percent TFI in DLSU. The increase, approved by different University sectors, was cemented in a Memorandum of Agreement signing last February 10 and was attended by members of the Multi-Sectoral Consultative Committee in Tuition Fee Increase (MSCCTF), which is composed of representatives from the Association of Faculty and Educators of DLSU Inc., members of the DLSU-Parents of University Students Organization (DLSU-PUSO), University administrators, and officers from the University Student Government (USG).
Although the signing of the agreement belied the tough negotiations that took place behind the scenes, the resulting TFI is the lowest in recent years, matched only by the four percent increase in AY 2015-2016.
Finding middle ground
Before the TFI proposal could be finalized, it took two months for different sectors to study and weigh in standpoints from each sector, USG President Lance Dela Cruz reveals.
University Chancellor Br. Bernard Oca FSC shares that the deliberation of proposals first began among members of the faculty, followed by the Employee Association, and then among students. “After [the proposals], we met and said, ‘Okay, how far can we go—lower or higher?’ We just came to [meet halfway] and came down to four percent,” he elaborates.
Faculty and employee sectors proposed an increase of seven and eight percent, respectively. The University administration, on the other hand, did not specify an exact percentage. As Vice Chancellor for Academics Dr. Robert Roleda explains, “[The administration] simply stated that there should be a minimum across the board increase [in] faculty and employee [salaries of] 2.6 percent to match [the] inflation rate.”
The USG, meanwhile, championed a zero percent tuition increase, citing the need to sustain affordable education in the University. Although DLSU-PUSO did not present a proposal itself, it supported the arrangements submitted by the USG. “We are here representing your parents. As much as possible, we try to work with and for the students,” DLSU-PUSO Corporate Secretary Patrick Emilio Yap explains.
Before the proposal could be finalized, however, each sector of the University justified the rationale behind their respective proposals, a tedious task that lasted for several rounds. “After three rounds, malayo pa rin, so average na lang, and this is [the] four percent [which] we all [found] more reasonable,” Roleda adds.
(We were still far from reaching an agreement, so we settled for the average.)
Accessible education
However, the tuition increase has its reasons. Oca explains that an increase in salary for the faculty and staff is still a priority due to competitive standards set outside campus. Republic Act 11466, also known as the Salary Standardization Law of 2019 or Salary Standardization Law V, was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte earlier this year. Under the law, government employees, which include teachers who work in public schools, will receive a salary raise. “We want our professors to at least have a high salary when that time comes. So that’s very, very important,” Oca stresses.
On the other hand, the USG argued in their proposal submitted to the MSCCTF, a copy of which was provided to The LaSallian, that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas believes that inflation is “likely to remain stable” this year. The projected 38.25 percent growth in student population by AY 2020-2021 was also argued to be enough to compensate for the 5.6 percent increase in faculty salary, four percent increase in expenses affected by the inflation rate, and an additional two percent increase for facilities. Dela Cruz reveals that the economic and financial justifications for the USG’s proposal were handled by the School of Economics Government, while the Office of the Executive Treasurer gathered and presented student sentiments.
According to their calculations, the University will still earn a profit at the end of the year, citing that in the best-case scenario, DLSU will earn P22,170,494.51, while in the worst-case, DLSU will earn only P2,888,881.23. DLSU’s Income Statement in previous years, which were also included in the proposal, show that the University’s profits had dwindled from P209,204,373 in 2017 to just P9,470,847 in 2018. By 2019, DLSU was in the red with a P227,020,043 loss.
Although Dela Cruz recalls his campaign promise to lobby for a zero percent TFI, he admits that a compromise must be reached with the other sectors of the University.
“While I still disagree that there should be an increase this year, it is the lowest tuition fee increase for the past five years. It is [at] par with the inflation rate of the Philippines,” he stresses.
Nevertheless, he assures the student body that this was not the only initiative prepared by the USG to address students’ financial concerns. Projects to increase the number of scholarships, he shares, are underway to continue promoting “accessible education”. “Rest assured, throughout our term [and] through this administration, we will be continuing the fight to keep our Lasallian education accessible to everyone,” Dela Cruz expresses.
Conflicting opinions
For One La Salle for Human Rights and Democracy (OLFHRD), a yet-to-be accredited DLSU organization, the TFI could not have received a colder reception. The group voiced its opposition to the increase by organizing a signature campaign, which as of press time has gathered over a thousand signatures, and participating in the recent National Day of Walkout conducted last February 27 alongside other youth organizations who opposed the proposed TFIs across different colleges and universities nationwide.
Gail* (III, AB-LIM) disapproves of the settled rate of TFI for the next AY, criticizing the lack of tangible improvements in terms of facilities and online systems. “The tuition fee has been gradually increasing throughout the years, yet the same issues are still prevalent throughout the University,” she argues.
Timothy Del Castillo (I, BSE-MAT) shares the same sentiments, adding that not everyone can afford DLSU’s tuition and that the TFI runs against the goal of St. John Baptist de La Salle to provide “education for all, regardless if they were poor or rich.”
Jennifer Santos (IV, BS-LGL), on the other hand, shares that she is satisfied with the four percent increase. She says that she does not find the USG’s proposal to be realistic with the current economic and financial situation in the country. “Tataas naman talaga tuition fee regardless [of what happens]. Still, na-clarify ko rin sa DLSU-PUSO na kahit na may increase, they chose the lowest [rate of increase],” she adds.
(The tuition fee will definitely increase regardless of what happens. Still, I was able to clarify with DLSU-PUSO that even though there was an increase, they still got the lowest option.)
*Names with asterisks (*) are pseudonyms.
Correction: March 12, 2020. 1:20 pm
In the previous version of this article, the National Day of Walkout was incorrectly stated to have been conducted on February 27, instead of February 28. This has since been corrected.
