By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Over the weekend, Bacolod City lone district Rep. Greg Gasataya announced the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) approved the inclusion of Bacolod City College (BCC) under the free tuition law.

The congressman said he has been working on acquiring free tuition eligibility for the school since the law passed last year.

In order to qualify for coverage under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Law, BCC needed CHED accreditation, which, according to Gasataya, all pertinent paperwork was sent in June 2017. By August, the congressman said he was in the process of providing follow-up.

With BCC’s recent inclusion, Gasataya said officials from the CHED regional office are scheduled to meet with BCC officials in order to discuss reimbursing tuition fees paid by those who have already enrolled.

He added, BCC could expect an increase in the number of students, especially since the first batch of K-to-12 graduates are expected to enter as freshmen this academic year.

Gasataya noted, poor households can no longer cite poverty as a reason their children cannot earn a college education.

Aside from BCC, Gasataya said CHED also approved free tuition at the Technical University of the Philippines and Bago City College.

The Carlos Hilado Memorial State College campuses in Negros Occidental will also be eligible after CHED finalizes its validation of documents to qualify for the free tuition law, the congressman pointed out./DGB, WDJ