Bill junking college entrance exam fees for impoverished, enacted into law

The bill mandates private higher education institutions (HEIs) to exempt high school graduates qualified for college admission from paying college entrance examination fees and charges.

Kabataan Partylist Representative Raoul Manuel, one of the authors of the said law, welcomed the  passage of RA 12006, expressing in a statement released by the partylist’s Facebook Page that the youth sector has hailed the passage of the bill.

“Matagal nang pasakit sa mga estudyante ang pagbabayad ng entrance examinations fee dahil ito ay balakid para maipakita nila ang kanilang potensyal sa akademya at makapasok sa mga kolehiyo. Ikinatutuwa ng mga kabataan ang balita na naging batas na ang naturang panukala,” the statement read.

(Entrance examination fees have long been hindering students from exhibiting their potential in academics and getting into colleges. The youth are overjoyed by the news of the bill being passed into law.)

However, Manuel recognized the enacted version’s shortcomings. In lieu of waiving the entrance exam fees for all students, five conditions still inhibit everyone from enjoying the payment exemption.

“Makikita nating komersyalisado pa rin ang sistema ng edukasyon, nananatili pa rin ang iba’t ibang mahal na bayarin kahit hindi ka pa nakakapasok sa mismong paaralan kagaya nitong entrance examinations fee,” the representative emphasized.

(It is apparent that the education system is still commercialized, and there are still costly fees even though a student has not been enrolled in a school yet, such as the entrance examinations fee.)

The lawmaker encouraged the youth and their fellow legislators to bolster the fight for a more patriotic, scientific, and democratic kind of education.

Under the “Free College Entrance Exams Act,” a student will be considered eligible if they are a natural-born citizen and belong to the top ten percent of their graduating class.

The applicant must also belong to a family whose combined household income falls below the threshold set by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) or those who are struggling to provide for their minimum basic needs, with certification by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Further, students must be applying for admission to a private HEI and be able to satisfy all requirements specified by the institution.

Meanwhile, to set a safeguard against private HEIs who refuse to adhere with the law’s provisions, the Commission of Higher Education (CHED) is vested with authority to determine and impose appropriate sanctions.