Mga benepisyaryo ng free college education, pinag-uusapan ng DOF

Inaasam ni Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno na isagawa ang isang nationwide screening sa mga mag-aaral na nagnanais kumuha ng libreng edukasyon sa mga state-run universities and colleges (SUCs), na sinasabing ang kasalukuyang implementasyon nito ay “unwieldy, inefficient, and wasteful.”

Nitong nakaraang weekend, sinabi ni Diokno na kinakailangang suriin ang programa ng libreng edukasyon sa kolehiyo at ang pamahalaan ay dapat na “optimally allocate resources funded largely by taxpayers for education.”

“An indicator of wastefulness is the rising dropout rate. The proposed reform also aims to reduce the threat to the robust private school system,” ayon sa kanya.

Sa pahayag, inilatag ni Diokno ang kanyang mga proposal. Kabilang dito ang:

•  focus on strengthening the K-12 program;
•  conduct a nationwide test to filter those who should be entitled to free education;
• allow those who passed the nationwide exam and are entitled to free education to use their entitlement (a four-year voucher) to enter or reject their assigned state university, and if the latter, choose an accredited private university; and
•  reduce the number of existing SUCs over time through mergers.

Ang asignadong SUC para sa mga mag-aaral ay batay sa kanilang mga marka.

“He may refuse to enroll in an SUC assigned to him and instead attend any government-accredited private university that will admit him. Of course, the voucher will be released on an annual basis and will be based on the satisfactory performance of the government scholar,” pahayag ni Diokno.

Sa layuning palakasin ang implementasyon ng K-12, sinabi ni Diokno na target nila na magbigay ng mas matibay na pundasyon para sa mga kabataang mahihirap, at bigyan sila ng “mas magandang pagkakataon na makapasok sa kolehiyo at makatapos dito.”

“That should be our focus. The other goal of the K-12 program is to prepare the student for gainful employment or higher education. Many are not interested to go to college; they just want better jobs,” pahayag pa ng Finance chief.

“These set of proposals are not perfect, but these could immensely improve the allocation of scarce government resources,” dagdag pa niya.

Nagpahayag din ng pangamba si Diokno ukol sa kakayahan ng programa, kaya’t kinakailangan na ito’y depensahan ni Commission on Higher Education Chairperson Prospero de Vera habang isinusumite ang budget para sa taong 2024 ng ahensya sa Kongreso.

Ayon kay De Vera, ang pagbibigay ng libreng edukasyon ay “best anti-poverty strategy” dahil pinalakas nito ang access ng mga Pilipino sa kolehiyo.

“We’ve been implementing free higher education for five years now. The results are out there to see. Number one, participation in higher education has significantly increased—41% of university students are actually enrolled in universities vs. 30+% in the previous years. That’s a significant increase,” ayon kay De Vera.

Nakuha rin ang iba’t ibang reaksyon ang panukala ni Diokno.

“Multi-millionaire families should pay tuition so that more resources can go to support poorer families and students,” ayon kay Senador Sonny Angara.

“I don’t understand why Secretary Diokno is so ‘stingy’ when it comes to investing in our country’s ‘human capital’ and yet liberal and magnanimous when it comes to ‘flood control’… If at all, it is this allocation that should be reviewed and revisited,” pahayag naman ni Senador Francis Escudero.

Sa kabilang banda, suportado naman ni Senador Koko Pimentel ang panukala ni Diokno.

“I can see the point of Secretary Diokno. Free college education should be for those 1) who want to go to college 2) who have the aptitude to study in college 3) who can secure a competitive slot in college (determined thru competitive examination). Secretary Diokno has a very valid point,” pahayag ng senador.