Editorial

A New Beginning

The academic year 2018-2019 of Northern Bukidnon Community College started with
the onset of the free tuition implementation in accordance with Republic Act 10931 also known
as “Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act of 2017”.

During the previous semester and summer break, the campaign of the school’s enrolment
became the talk of the town as it announced its free tuition policy which resulted to the increase
of enrollees adding 11% to the previous population. Aside from the school’s competence in the
Licensure Exam for Teachers (LET) the pull of the free tuition evidently encouraged a lot of
students and parents to choose NBCC. With the onslaught of price hike and other financial crisis,
surely, the implementation of the program is timely and with great relevance.

However, the free tuition has exemptions for the following people according to Section 6
of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR): 1) second coursers such as those students who
are taking their Professional Education subject and those who have level 6 education or two-year
or three-year course graduates. 2) Students who fail to comply with the admission and/or
retention policy. 3) Students who fail to complete their bachelor’s degree with in a year after the
prescribed period in their program or those students who are already in the 5th or 6th year in
college. Shiftees, transferees, and returnees also need to follow the five year rule which means
that if a student have spent 3 years, for example in Teacher Education Program and shifted to
another department, the UNIFAST (United Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary
Education) can only pay the next two years provided that the student can retain GPA
qualifications. Aside from that, students who qualified for the program are required to attend one
hour service in Return Service System (RSS) every Friday except from student officers, working
students and organizations members. On the other hand students who enjoy free tuition are Commented [U1]: clarify

liberated from ID fee, field trip, Handbook fee, club fees, and publication fees among others.
These information are relayed to the students as the semester started to enlighten the students
about the said program.