KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews/14 May) – School officials of the University of Southern Mindanao (USM) announced last week they won’t increase tuition fees for school year 2012-2013 despite the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED’s) approval of a 10-percent increase.
USM officials, however, urged enrollees to pay in full the tuition and miscellaneous fees during enrolment to defray salaries and wages of their contractual and job order employees and other maintenance and operating costs for the whole semester.
But if students could not afford it, school officials proposed they pay at least half of it, according to Dr. Antonio Tacardon, USM’s vice president for academic affairs.
“The money that would be collected from miscellaneous fees would be used to finance students’ laboratory activities,” said Tacardon.
The school has also strict policy against fixers.
“We advise students not to ask help from the fixers when enrolling. This is not allowed here,” said Tacardon.
Last month, the CHED allowed a 10-percent hike in tuition of the colleges and universities all over the country. But the schools can only increase tuition if they had submitted the necessary requirements, which include a letter of intent to increase fees, consultation with students and parents, and certificates of consultation and intended compliance.
Seventy percent of the increase are supposed to go to the salaries of the teachers while the rest should be directed to the improvement of school equipment and facilities.
The USM has more than 15,000 students in at least three campuses in Kabacan, Arakan Valley, and in Kidapawan City, all in North Cotabato.
The USM campuses have a total land area of 5,129.97 hectares – its main campus in Kabacan town has 1,024 hectares; and annexes campuses in Arakan Valley, 4,091 hectares; and USM-Kidapawan City Campus, 14.97 hectares.
Most of its land is used for agricultural projects. (Malu Cadeliña Manar / MindaNews)