Militant youth group greets opening of classes with protests

Members of the Kabataan party-list group staged a protest in Manila on Tuesday, the start of classes in all public schools nationwide and in other private institutions. A GMA News' Flash Report said the protesters picketed in front of the Far Eastern University at the University Belt in Manila to call attention to loopholes in the Philippine education system, such as the inability of the youth to go to school because of high tuition. The report added that men from the Manila Police District had tightened security at the University Belt. Other government agencies such as the Department of Transportation and Communications earlier said it would beef up its efforts to ensure that the classes would open smoothly. A recent special report by GMANews.TV showed how private schools skirt restrictions on raising tuition by increasing miscellaneous fees. [See: Non-tuition fees hide real cost of private education] About 24 million students returned to school on Tuesday, most of them from public schools. Despite reports of overcrowding and other perennial school opening woes, Education Secretary Mona Valisno said teachers are prepared to handle several students in one class, such as that in Payatas-B Elementary School in Quezon City, which has about 120 students packed in a single shift. — Sophia M. Dedace/RSJ/LBG, GMANews.TV