House Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Northern Samar Rep. Paul Daza on Sunday welcomed the appointment of Dr. Shirley Castañeda Agrupis as the new chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd).
“It’s a welcome development and hopefully signals more seriousness in effecting much-needed reforms in higher education,” Daza said.
The lawmaker noted that Agrupis’ appointment comes at a crucial time, citing the country’s high college dropout rate.
“If I remember correctly, we have a 39% attrition rate—that means about four in 10 Filipino students are dropping out from college. That was our challenge before (to) CHEd Chair (Prospero) De Vera that we hope [will] be addressed by Chair Agrupis,” Daza said.
“The free tuition fee law solves half of the problem, but with the rising costs of living, the dream of finishing a degree is becoming more difficult,” he added.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recently appointed Agrupis to replace De Vera, who served as CHEd chair for seven years.
“Tertiary education is a dream of most, if not all, families. But it is really hard. Students need to pay for food, fare, and most often for their dormitories or housing fees. We are really proud of Republic Act 10931, not all countries have free tertiary education,” Daza noted in his statement.
“But I hope CHEd will push more seriously in implementing Section 7 of the law, which prioritizes the beneficiaries of scholarships and stipends,” he added.
Daza also urged Agrupis to ensure better use of the Higher Education Development Fund (HEDF).
“As I recall, total funding received by HEDF was P13.9 billion for the period 2015-2021. We are aware a portion of the fund must be spent on tourism-related programs, but we hope there will be more allocation for the needs of poor students,” he said.
