SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY administration will have to consult the student government organization first before a proposal on tuition increase is submitted to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), as mandated by law.
Vice President for Finance and Administration Fe Marie Tagle said they had a meeting with the Silliman University Student Government (SUSG) before they submitted the notice to CHED to increase tuition.
However, SUSG President Allison Ladero said he and his executive committee do not recall, or have any records of, having a consultation with the administration about the planned tuition increase.
According to Article III Section 5 of the CHED memorandum on Consultation Process and Requirements, “All Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), public or private, intending to increase their tuition and other school fees for the ensuing Academic Year shall conduct consultations, as hereinafter defined and provided, with their student councils/governments, and their faculty, alumni and/or non-teaching personnel associations.”
“If I remember correctly, we only had meetings concerning the SUFA issue back in July, and the student issues this month. Although a probable tuition hike would always be mentioned from time to time during those meetings. But we didn’t have a separate meeting solely focused on tuition hike consultation. Maybe the admin had it with the previous SUSG administration,” said Ladero.
It is also stated in the memorandum under Article III Section 6.2 that consultation periods with the involved parties should be done before February 28 of the academic year prior to the year when the increase will take effect.
Vice President for Finance and Administration Fe Marie Tagle clarified that the administration is yet to consult the SUSG, faculty, and students this February regarding the projected tuition fee hike.
“[The tuition fee increase] has been approved by the Board of Trustees. We gave [CHED] the information about it. In the same notice we sent to CHED, we told them we will do the consultation in February,” Tagle explained.
In Article III Section 7.2.1 of the memorandum, a certification of the conducted consultation including objections made by involved parties and a list of officers of the student government are part of the list of six duly notarized documents that must be submitted to CHED before the commission’s approval.
Meanwhile, Tagle said CHED treats the tuition hike not as an increase, but as an adjustment since it doesn’t affect all students.
Tagle added they followed CHED’s protocol for tuition fee adjustment by sending them the notice.
