Should he earn a seat in the Senate in May, independent senatorial candidate Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson wants to revisit and review the Free Tertiary Education Act of 2017 to make it more accessible, especially to students from poor families.
Lacson said that during the campaign period, he learned of problems with the implementation of the law, including the Commission on Higher Education’s requirement for parents of scholars to pay tuition first and wait for a rebate.
“As we went around the country during the 90-day campaign, we saw problems in the implementation of the law. One is the requirement for some parents to give advance payments, and wait for the rebate. In some cases the CHED is delayed in paying the rebate. In other cases, the rebates do not come at all,” he said.
“This is wrong. The scholarship should be available and the parents should not be made to give advance payments. We should revisit this law in the Senate in the exercise of oversight,” he added.
Related: Ping Lacson, Gagawing Mas Abot-Kaya sa Mahihirap ang Free Tertiary Education Act
Lacson also said he will look for ways to make the requirements for the Free Tertiary Education Act more accessible for the poor.
He cited the setup in Pangasinan where the local government’s scholarship program had “lower” standards, with the intention of allowing students from poor families to earn their diplomas and qualify for work.
Also, Lacson pushed for giving scholars “second chances” to meet the requirements of their scholarships instead of kicking them out outright.
“Perhaps the scholars had a reason for not meeting the requirements. The scholars could be given a chance to retake the exams, but let’s not take away their scholarships outright,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lacson also reiterated he will make sure the education sector – the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, and state colleges and universities – gets the highest priority in the national budget, as mandated by our Constitution.
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Ping Lacson, Gagawing Mas Abot-Kaya sa Mahihirap ang Free Tertiary Education Act
Kung manalo siya sa pagka-senador sa Mayo, irerepaso ni independent senatorial candidate Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson ang Free Tertiary Education Act of 2017 para tiyaking mas abot-kaya ito lalo na sa mga mag-aaral na galing sa mahihirap na pamilya.
Ayon kay Lacson, napag-alaman niya noong 90-araw na kampanya na may problema ang pagpapatupad ng batas, kabilang ang pag-require ng Commission on Higher Education sa magulang ng ilang iskolar na magbayad muna ang tuition at hintayin na lamang ang rebate.
“As we went around during the 90-day campaign period, may nakita kaming problema sa implementation. Una, minsan pina-advance ang parents ng scholars. Tapos ang CHED matagal pang mag-rebate, minsan hindi nagre-rebate,” aniya.
“Baliktad ito, dapat available ang scholarship na di mag-aabono ang parents. So I think we should revisit sa Senate in the exercise of oversight ang implementation,” dagdag niya.
Maghahanap din si Lacson ng paraan para gawing mas maluwag ang requirements ng scholarship sa Free Tertiary Education Act para sa mga galing sa mahirap na pamilya.
Hinalimbawa niya ang programa sa Pangasinan kung saan ang local scholarship program ay may mas “mababa” na pamantayan, dahil ang layunin nito ay matiyak na ang mag-aaral galing sa mahirap na pamilya ay makakuha ng diploma at matanggap sa trabaho.
Nais din ni Lacson na bigyan ang iskolar ng karagdagang pagkakataon para matugunan ang mga kinakailangan sa scholarship nila, sa halip na tanggalin agad sila.
“Baka naman may malalim na dahilan ang bata kung bakit hindi siya naka-afford at makarating sa standard. Pwedeng pa-retake o pagbigyan uli, hindi yung forever na hindi siya maka-enroll,” aniya.
Muling iginiit din ni Lacson na titiyakin niyang ang education sector – ang Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, at state colleges and universities – ang makakakuha ng pinakamataas na prayoridad sa pambansang budget, sang-ayon sa ating Saligang Batas.
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