Lapus also stressed that the government hands are actually tied on this issue considering that tuition increase is already deregulated.
He said private schools, although operations are coupled by public interest, is another business enterprise put up to earn to sustain operations.
"It think a 10-percent tuition increase is enough and reasonable," Lapus said when informed of the youth and student groups appeal for moratorium on tuition increase due to prevailing economic crisis.
The education chief added that any tuition increase is supposed to redound to the student benefits since application of tuition increase must follow the provision of the deregulation of tuition.
The deregulations mandate that 70 percent should be used for upgrading of school facilities, 20 percent for acquisition of materials and equipment, while only 10 percent will go for salary increase of its faculty.
Earlier, Kabataan Pinoy (KP), in airing their appeal for moratorium, said "tuition and other school fees increases are insensitive and immoral."
The youth group also condemned all application for tuition and other school fees increase at a time when the country is experiencing food and economic crisis.
"This shows the insensitivity of school owners to the economic situation of their students and their families," said KP national president Dion Cerrafon.
Cerrafon pointed out that increases in other school fees such as miscellaneous, electric, Internet and the like which are not included in the basic tuition maybe increased without the approval of the Department of Education (DepEd) or the Commission on Higher Education (Ched).
"High tuition combined with other fees increases is just downright immoral," he said.
The DepEd and Ched admitted that they are expecting private schools to increase tuition next month.
There are schools proposing as much as 25 percent in their tuition although majority of the 53 private elementary schools that have already filed their application for fee increase were asking only for eight to 10 percent.
The list of schools with approved tuition increase will be made public after the May 15 deadline. (AH/Sunnex)
