UP Diliman students affected by Yolanda get tuition break
MANILA, Philippines – Students of the University of the Philippines in Diliman (UPD) who are from the provinces devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda (international codename: Haiyan) will be exempted from paying tuition for the second semester.
They will be assigned lower brackets in the university’s Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP), according to an advisory released by the UP Diliman Student Council (USC) on Friday, November 15.
From their current brackets, students whose families were struck by the disaster mostly in the Visayas will be transferred to bracket E2.
Their tuition and miscellaneous fees will be waived, while each of them will also receive a monthly stipend amounting to P 2,400.
Those who want to avail themselves of these benefits should submit a letter to the Office of the Chancellor for Students Affairs (OCSA) by Friday, November 22, with the following information:
- student’s college
- course
- student number
- provincial address
- narration of how the typhoon affected his or her family.
The Alphabetic Bracketing Scheme (ABS) for the STFAP was first implemented in 2007, following an increase in tuition and miscellaneous fees in the state university.
The scheme assigns students to brackets that indicate the amount per unit they have to pay as tuition every semester. It is based on the students’ financial capacity as reflected on the submitted requirements, such as declared family income.
Students may contact USC's Basic Student Services (BSS) head JP delas Nieves for questions and inquiries at 09161245500.
UP Diliman students affected by the super typhoon can also get the following school services for free:
- dorm slots
- meals
- refund of tuition and/or dorm fees.
To avail themselves of these free services, they should send letters indicating the same information required for the tuition break. This time, the letters should be addressed to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and the Office of Student Housing under Director Gerry Lanuza. Students may email these letters to fealmazabat@yahoo.com.
The administration also released a memorandum on Wednesday, November 13, requesting other units and colleges under the UP system to accommodate students from UP Tacloban as cross-enrollees.
The memorandum waives all the requirements for students wanting to cross-enroll. The registration will be until Friday, November 22. – Rappler.com
