THE KABATAAN Party-list urged Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio to lower tuition to help parents cope with increasing cost of goods and services.

Kabataan Representative Raoul Manuel said that adjusting tuition will open discussions on pressing problems in the education system.

He said that tuition  rose by 4.74 percent while other school fees rose by 10.61 percent last year.

He dismissed Duterte-Carpio’s order that wearing of school uniforms will not be mandatory as “unoriginal ,” saying such policy “has not ensured accessible education for all.”

“This matter is only a tip of the iceberg. Other barriers make education inaccessible to the youth,” Manuel said.

He described Duterte-Carpio’s move as populist, “meant to appease public frustrations but not to help solve systematic problems.”

Kabataan filed House Bill 252 or the Emergency Student Aid and Relief Bill that seeks to grant P10,000 cash assistance to students affected by the pandemic and calamities.