NORTHERN Samar 1st District Rep. Paul Daza has raised concerns over the high dropout rates in tertiary education despite the implementation of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.

Daza noted that the law provides subsidies to students enrolled in state universities and colleges, local universities and colleges, and state-run technical-vocational institutions.

Rep. Janette Garin, the budget sponsor for the Commission on Higher Education, revealed that the attrition rate averaged 37.86% between 2018 and 2022, dropping slightly to 29.39% between 2020 and 2024.

Despite the decrease, Daza still found the figures alarming.

“I don’t think that’s a good performance, even with the free tuition law. We all share the responsibility of addressing this issue to increase enrollment, yet attrition rates remain high,” Daza said.

“We allocate enough budget for tertiary education scholarships, so we should be able to reduce the dropout rate and increase graduation rates,” he added.

Garin explained that financial difficulties remain the primary reason for dropouts.

However, the country’s graduation rate remains relatively high, according to UNESCO data published in June.

“The graduation rate in the Philippines is 56.88%, slightly higher than South Korea’s 55.46%, and significantly higher than Canada’s 42.7%,” Garin said.

She emphasized that CHED’s ultimate goal is to achieve zero dropouts, but acknowledged there are factors beyond their control.

Daza urged CHED to focus on the success figures of programs like Tulong Dunong and the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, and include these in their key performance indicators.