By: Aliahcorr Balanon
College students at the University of the Philippines (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
Four out of 10 Filipino college students are dropping out despite the implementation of free tuition in state universities and colleges under Republic Act 10931, or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, according to the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II).
Citing the data from Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), the primary reason for dropping out includes the need to work (44%), lack of engagement in school (25%), and financial struggles (20%).
“Kung ang lahat ng college programs po natin, eight to five lamang… marami po talaga baka hindi kayang pagsabayin ang pag-aaral at pagtatrabaho,” said Dr. Karol Mark Yee, EDCOM II Executive Secretary.
Additionally, it is reported that the nationwide drop out rate stands 40% with the highest recorded in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) at 93%, while Metro Manila hover at 52% and Central Visayas at 61%.
“In BARMM, nearly all students, 93.4%, drop out before graduating. In Region 7 (Central Visayas), the figure is at 60.7%. In Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), 59.5%. And in the Cordillera, 54.9%,” Tingog party-list Representative Jude Acidre said.
For the past three decades, the country’s most popular college programs, Business Education, Teacher Education, and Engineering have remained unchanged.
However, tracer studies revealed that the graduates from these programs often struggle to secure a stable and high-paying job, while industries such as software engineering, animation and game development continue to face shortages.
“What we have is that the bulk go to traditional courses… but not always gaining benefits of college graduation after they finish,” Yee admitted.
Lawmakers also highlighted the problems in Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES), which intended to help students cover the costs beyond tuition such as transportation, housing, and books.
In 2021, only 495 out of 501,000 senior high school graduates from 4Ps families received TES assistance.
The committee concluded that despite having the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (RA 10931) free tuition is not enough to ensure students will continue to finish college, especially those from low-income families.
With this, Acidre emphasized that modernizing the charters of the Commission of Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is among his priorities for education reform.