SENATOR Win Gatchalian has urged private Higher Education Institutions to defer their tuition fee hike petitions because most Filipino families are still struggling to cope with the financial woes brought about by the outbreak of the Covid19 pandemic.

Some HEIs have already submitted their tuition hike applications even prior to the enforcement of lockdown measures, according to the Commission on Higher.

In a recent Senate education committee hearing, the CHED has reported that the dip in the enrollment among the country’s 3.5 million higher education students further compelled the HEIs to seek a hike in tuition fees.

Gatchalian stressed that raising tuition fees would burden struggling families and aggravate the number of dropouts as the number of jobless Filipinos soared to a record high of 7.3 million amid the coronavirus pandemic.

He said “budget constraints are affecting beneficiaries of the CHED programs.”

The CHED Merit Scholarship Program for example, which originally had 2,467 slots allotted for incoming college freshmen for academic year 2020-2021, will no longer accept new scholars.

“This is not the time to overburden our parents with high tuition fees, lalo na ngayong panahong marami silang binabayaran. Hindi ngayon ang tamang panahon para diyan,” Gatchalian said.

The senator, however, acknowledged that if private HEIs are to defer tuition fee hikes, they need available alternate resources to sustain operations, including the payment of faculty and staff salaries and allowances.

“Ang pagpapaliban sa pagtaas ng matrikula ay isang paraan upang matulungan natin ang mga pamilyang naapektuhan ang kabuhayan dahil sa pandemya. Kung maipapasa natin sa mga darating na araw ang panukalang Bayanihan to Recover As One Act ay mabibigyan natin ng agarang tulong ang nasa sektor ng edukasyon,” he stressed.