Reaction on TOFI in UP

Recently, the University of the Philippines’ Board of Regents approved the three hundred percent (300%) tuition fee increase that will affect the incoming college freshmen for the school year 2007-2008. Rallies have been made in order to show that the students are not in favor of this monstrous decision. Now, what is really the buzz about the three hundred percent (300%) increase?

According to the anti-TOFI side of the students, the reason why they are protesting way beyond the usual is because the groups of students, which are not to pay the tuition fee, are now required to pay it. For them, it is an additional burden for the poor but deserving people.

Personally, I have pro’s and con’s regarding this decision of the UP Board of Regents. My pro would be that it is somehow reasonable to implement this because the facilities of the premier state university are now low in quality and defective. What would a state university do if its facilities cannot support the education it gives to the students? It will just turn out that the education it provides will be useless because the students cannot apply it. Since the government cannot allocate the right budget for the school, then the most appropriate solution to this problem must therefore be an increase in the tuition fee. Not only does it cope up the budget deficit of the government, it can also provide the school with enough funds to support any financial crisis. We all know for a fact that a school with complete facilities will always help improve the performance of the students. But how can we have the right number of facilities if we have no money to buy? It must then be inferred that money is very essential. Imagine smart students given with the correct tools and facilities, would not there be any good results?

Although it poses good aims for the universities and the students, its means are, I think, far too exaggerated. According to the new bracket system, the students who were not supposed to pay are now required to pay, and this is what I do not like about this decision. For me, this is very disturbing and very frustrating on the part of the students who are members of this said bracket. Although some students still need not pay the tuition fee because these students are really financially poor, the income of these students are way below the practical. If you were to watch the income of these non-paying students, it can be seen that their incomes are way below the survival rate. According to the non-tuition bracket, the annual income of the family must range from 0 to 45000Php, which I think is very irrational and impractical. What kind of a family would there be if the annual income were around 45000Php? I think that this kind of family will not even survive in a time like this, where commodities are now very expensive. I think that there is not even a family that has that kind of income today. Below 45000Php?! I think that is too irrational! A family with that kind of income, I think, cannot even send a student to school for God’s sake! Imagine a 3750Php per month salary. Well, it is still could be enough for some with only one child with a simple house and simple furniture. But then, where would they get their daily expenses for the student? No problem with the scholars, but what about the not scholars? Supposedly that a student who has a family with this kind of income is enrolled in the university and its family expenses are just right to make them survive for a year, what would happen if the student’s family gives him or her his or her daily allowance? That would mean that budgetary allocation must therefore be adjusted, not to mention the school expenses that always happen as long as a person is studying. So, this “non-tuition payers” bracket of theirs is very impractical. Even if this kind of student exists today, I think that he or she is having a hard time with his schooling.

Therefore, my solution this kind of problem, since it cannot be stopped through any means of rallies anymore, is to request the UP administration to raise the “non-tuition payers” bracket up to 150000Php in order for the majority of the students to feel that there is still an accessible school in these days.