Lyceum of the Philippines University – Manila

Science, Technology, and Society

A.Y. 2022-2023 – Prelims, 1st Semester

DOCUMENTATION
PAPER
OF
RA 10931

Submitted by:
Section A109 - Group 1
ZEPEDA, Vince Luigi (LEADER)
ENCINA, Dan Angelo
ALARMA, Aaliyah Franchesca
GOMEZ, Christine Angela
JAVIER, John Vincent

Submitted to:
Ms. Corie Chuza Boongaling

October 20, 2022

Historical Background of Republic Act No. 10931
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) of the United Nations General
Assembly was held on December 10, 1948, in Paris. It establishes essential human rights to be
uniformly guaranteed for the first time, and it has been translated into over 500 languages (United
Nations, n.d.).[1] In other words, the UDHR enumerates the essential human rights entitled to each
and every individual. Specifically, it is stated therein the concept of the Social and Economic
Rights, and to furtherly narrow it, Article 26 thereof prescribes the right to education.
Let us define first the concept of human rights, as defined by the Human Rights
Commission of Cayman Islands (n.d.), it is the rights that is inherent and inalienable to people,
regardless of their nationality, location of residence, gender, national or ethnic origin, color,
religion, language, or any other status. We all have an equal entitlement to our human rights, free
of discrimination.[2] Now, the question is why is education considered to be a part of human rights?
According to the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (n.d.), education is a
fundamental human right that is required for the full enjoyment of all other human rights. It
encourages individual independence and empowerment while also providing significant
development advantages.[3]
Now, the concept of human rights as individual entitlements entails on the obligation on
the part of the State, specifically the right to education fosters social justice and welfare. Hence,
the Philippine Government through the 1987 Philippine Constitution acknowledges and adheres
to the doctrine of human rights. Specifically, Article 14, Section 1 thereof prescribes that “the State
shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take
appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.”[4] This is also in consonance with the
provisions of Article 2, Section 17 thereof which declares that “the State shall give priority to
education, science and technology, arts, culture, and sports to foster patriotism and nationalism,
accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation and development.”[5]
Before RA 10931 or the “Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act” became a
law it was first known as Senate Bill No. 1304, filed by Senator Ralph Recto and principally
sponsored by Senator Bam Aquino. Before it was enacted to be a law, the said bill was subject to
controversies and debates. Nevertheless, the Philippine Congress enacted jointly by the Senate and
House of Representatives finally passed the bill, and subsequently the said bill was signed into law
by the President on August 3, 2017.

Content of Republic Act No. 10931

The Republic Act No. 10931 or otherwise known as “Universal Access to Quality Tertiary
Education Act” provides that Filipino students that enroll in any State Universities and Colleges
(SUCs), Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs), and state-run Technical-Vocational Institutions
(TVIs) shall be exempted from paying the tuition fees provided that they pass the entrance
examination and other admission and retention requirements thereof.[6] However, first-time
students who are taking undergraduate degrees are the only ones covered by the free tuition
program.[7]
Subsequently, it is also stipulated therein that the government shall provide a Tertiary
Education Subsidy (TES) administered by the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for
Tertiary Education (UniFAST Board) to support the cost of tertiary education or any part or portion
thereof. The TES provides allowance for miscellaneous expenditures but is only limited to students
who are financially challenged based on the proof of income and estimated per capita household
income that is to be determined by the UniFAST Board.[8]
Moreover, the law also provides a Student Loan Program for Tertiary Education for
students who are incapable of providing short-term and long-term school expenditures. This is not
only limited to students taking up undergraduate degrees, but also to students who are taking up
further graduate studies like law and medicine.[9]
Lastly, the financial amount necessary to carry out the provisions of the law is to be
included in the annual national budget of the government in pursuant to the General Appropriations
Act (GAA), and to be appropriated under the annual budget of the SUCs, CHED and TESDA.[10]

Impact of Republic Act No. 10931 to Nation Building

Fighting all kinds of social crises has involved education as a key component. There is no
denying that it is a great approach to put an end to the majority of our misery, and it paves the way
for an improved future. First and foremost, the enactment of this law favors the financial
inadequacy of the people it directly affects, which are, the youth and their families as they no
longer must worry about paying for tuition and miscellaneous fees. We cannot dispute that the
four-year college programs cost a large amount of money, therefore some families are unable to
pay the higher education of their children owing to financial constraints.
Subsequently, the Republic Act No. 10931 contributes to the alleviation of poverty.
According to Kulild (2014), more people having access to education can help end poverty.
Learning fundamental skills like reading, writing, and numeracy has a proven positive impact on
the wages of underprivileged communities. It raises the economy's rate of return.[11] Therefore, it
is crucial to make investments in education that gives the youth essential academic and practical
skills. Now, this certain law breaks down the barriers in higher education, as we all know, it is a
great equalizer as it offers not only the necessary skills, but it also opens the door for different job
opportunities and even one’s desired profession.
Now that we have mentioned education’s role in employment, let us then break down the
justifications of its avoidance in unemployment. The state of the economy as a whole can be
severely harmed by unemployment. According to (Gerald, 2022), Education has a variety of
effects on lowering unemployment. First, it can give them the knowledge and abilities they require
to be employed. Second, education assists in gaining the self-assurance and motivation, which is
necessary to pursue employment. Lastly, education can help to establish the networks and
connections they require to find employment. Although education cannot be a panacea for all of
the nation’s economic challenges, it can undoubtedly help to lower the unemployment rate and
help to bolster the nation’s economy.[12]
Furthermore, the democracy in our country is significantly impacted by RA 10931 as well.
Higher educational institutions produce critical thinkers. Democracy is promoted by critical
thinking, making it an imperative component to achieve democratic participation. Voters must be
able and willing to think critically in order to make informed judgments. Thus, free access to
tertiary education would also mean free access to all of this. This law will create more politically
aware or informed people/youth that will not hesitate to substantiate and to demand accountability
to the government.

Pros and Cons of Republic Act No. 10931

Pros of Republic Act No. 10931
As we all know, education has always been a key factor in the development of a country.
The search for the greatest system of education that would work among the people of the state has
been one of the priorities of the government. Having educated citizens alone could lead to the
triumphant victory of a country economic-wise. The stability and professionalism that education
gives can lead to the development and advancement of the country’s science and technology sector.
The research that would come out of educated and talented students would lead to outstanding
results and could easily influence future advancements in our world today.
According to (Ireland, 2020), in her research the top 5 best countries for education system
with their quality index and in particular order starting from 1 are United Kingdom (78.2), United
States (72), Australia (70.5), Netherlands (70.3), and Sweden (70.1).[13] This is also in consonance
with the research done by the team of World Population Review (2022) it presents all of these
countries to be part of First World countries today: Sweden is ranked 7, Australia and Netherlands
at 8, United Kingdom comes in at 13, and United States is ranked 17.[14] Of course, there are many
factors considered, education being one of them, when it comes to ranking countries in general.
Convincingly enough, this proves that education comes a long way in a development of one’s
nation. With Republic Act No. 10931, more students who are entering college can now afford to
finish their school, attain certain degrees, and push for their dreams and limits as they enter the
real world.
Cons of Republic Act No. 10931
But can we say that the problem of education in our country has been resolved by this one
act? No. We must accept the fact that our country is also facing poverty. While this act provides
great equality to all, this does not serve the equity that our fellow Filipinos need. The ones who
should be capitalizing from these types of help that our government are giving are those who are
at the very bottom of our society. They need help, and they need it extensively. There are families
out there who do not have the sufficient resources that would help them finish their studies fully.
As we all know, there are other expenses in school aside from tuition fee. The school’s tuition fee
may be free, but these other expenses might not get paid off because of financial issues of those
families who are at the very bottom.
Logically speaking, most students who will be looking to take advantage this policy would
be coming out of public schools, because there is also no tuition fee in those schools. Considering
this, a minimum requirement of passing the entrance exam might not be the best idea in choosing
who could enter such college who are bounded by this policy. It cannot be denied that private
schools are better than public schools, because of availability in resources of teachings and
infrastructures alone. Public schools lack in teachers and facilities that could be used for teachings
and better study environment. This means that students coming out of private schools already has
an advantage on the entrance test that needs to be taken to be considered for the school. In effect,
this could lead to private school students completely flocking the schools that provide free tuition
once they pass the entrance exam. They are not the ones who need the help, but they cannot be
deprive of the vested rights given upon them after meeting the minimum requirement of passing
the entrance exam, so still, they are not to be blamed if they take advantage of the opportunity.
Again, the policy is up for equality, but without equity, it is hard to imagine how this policy would
be useful for those families in the bottom at all.

Suggestions for Amendments of Republic Act No. 10931

It was established that the policy would only equate to equality, and not equity. The policy
only resolves portion of the problem, not the whole. We suggest making the policy more leaning
towards equity. This means that the policy should not only give the opportunity of a free education,
but the government should also make ways on how the opportunity be more reachable to those
families who have nothing, or in short, have no “starting point”.
To put into points, first, we believe that the government must consider changing the
minimum requirements that should be met to enter these schools. It has been identified that the
entrance examination could be a barrier for the public-school students to enter such school without
tuition fee. Most students coming out from public schools would not have the same education and
information that a private school student would have because of lack in resources. This could easily
lead to private school students outnumbering the students that need the help most. Instead of having
this system where someone with more resources would have advantage against someone who does
not have the same privilege, why not have a system that is based on where the students came from?
We are pertaining to a grade-based system (public school grading-based system). If the point of
entrance examinations is to test the students of their knowledge and based on it if they are
deserving to enter the college, what difference does a grade-based system would offer? These
grades are a student’s very own grade. The result of a student’s sweat and hard work despite of
their socio-economic status in life. Therefore, background check must already be done before even
entering these types of colleges, as their socio-economic state could be a factor on their grades.
Obviously, it goes to say that this type of system should not be applied to state colleges such as
UP and PUP, or other colleges where they uphold their pride on the intellectual capability of their
students.
 References:
[1]
United Nations. (n.d.). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. https://www.un.org/en/about-
us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
[2]
Human Rights Commission of Cayman Islands. (n.d.). Human Rights Principles.
https://www.humanrightscommission.ky/human-rights-
principles#:~:text=Human%20rights%20are%20rights%20inherent,all%20interrelated%2C%20interd
ependent%20and%20indivisible.
[3]
Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. (n.d.). The right to education.
https://www.norad.no/en/front/thematic-areas/education/right-to-
education/#:~:text=Education%20is%20a%20fundamental%20human%20right%20and%20essential
%20for%20the,and%20yields%20important%20development%20benefits.
[4]
Article 14, Section 1, The 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines.
[5]
Article 2, Section 17, The 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines.
[6]
Section 4, Republic Act No. 10931 or “Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
[7]
Section 6, Republic Act No. 10931 or “Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
[8]
Section 7, Republic Act No. 10931 or “Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
[9]
Section 8, Republic Act No. 10931 or “Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
[10]
Section 15, Republic Act No. 10931 or “Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
[11]
Kulild, V. (2014). Role of education in ending extreme poverty -Taking a global lead.
https://www.norad.no/en/front/about-norad/news/role-of-education-in-ending-extreme-poverty--taking-
a-global-
lead/#:~:text=Increased%20access%20to%20education%20can%20contribute%20to%20reducing,incre
ases%20the%20rate%20of%20return%20on%20the%20economy.

[12]
Gerald. (2022). How Education Can Reduce Unemployment. https://www.june29.com/how-can-
education-reduce-unemployment/

[13]
Ireland, S. (2020). Ranked: World’s Best Countries For Education System, 2020.
https://ceoworld.biz/2020/05/10/ranked-worlds-best-countries-for-education-system-2020/

[14]
World Population Review. (2022). First World Countries 2022.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/first-world-countries