Philippines' Duterte orders free state college education
4 Aug 2017 10:56 PM IST
President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a law making education at all state universities free, a palace official said on Friday, despite warnings from his economic advisors that the Philippines cannot afford it.
Duterte, who is known for his populist leanings, believes the long-term benefits of the measure outweigh the short-term budgetary challenges, said deputy presidential executive secretary Menardo Guevarra.
"Free tertiary education in state universities and colleges is a very strong pillar or cornerstone of the president's social development policy," he told reporters.
The Bill, signed late on Thursday, will spare all students at government-run colleges and universities from paying tuition and other fees, he added. Economic officials had warned Duterte not to approve the measure, which they argue will cost 100 billion pesos (some $2 billion) a year and will mainly benefit wealthier students. Guevarra said that now the measure had been signed, everyone needed to work together to solve the key problem facing the new Bill: funding. "Everyone including the economic managers will have to focus their attention on this particular aspect: funding for this programme," he added.
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