House Committee on Higher Education chairman, Congressman Jude Acidre said he will propose bills in the lower chamber to strengthen the country's student loan system so that even those studying in private schools could get assistance from the government.

Acidre, representative of Tingog Party-list, on Monday, Aug. 4, expressed concern over the high attrition rate in colleges and universities, despite the fact that higher education in government institutions is already free.

He cited financial challenges, particularly those being experienced by private school students, as one of the reasons behind it.

"Isa din po sa ating ipo-propose, ang pagpapalakas ng ating student loan system, para naman kahit yung mga estudyanteng nag-aaral sa private school ay meron din silang makukuhang tulong, lalong lalo na maliban sa scholarship (One of our proposals is to strengthen the student loan system, so those in the private schools will get assistance, aside from scholarship)," he said in a press conference.

"[That's] especially for those coming from middle class families, na kaya naman mag-aral sa private school, pero for one reason or the other, kinakapos sa pambayad o panggastos. [So] meron silang malalapitan at madudulugan (who can study in private schools, but for some reason, still fall short of sustaining their expenses. It's for them to have someone to rely on)," he added.

Strengthening the loan system for students is only one of the efforts Acidre said he would take as he assumed the chairmanship of the higher education panel. He will work alongside Senator Bam Aquino, who is the head of the committee's Senate counterpart.

Currently, the country has an existing Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST), which offers, among others, loans for students enrolled in state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local universities and colleges (LUCs).

Acidre also said his committee will pick up on points and concerns raised by the Second Congressional Committee on Education (EDCOM 2).

Those include reviewing the charters of the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) as well as of the Technical Education And Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

'Yan po ang magiging baseline natin kasi naging masusi po ang pag aaral sa EDCOM (That's going to be our baseline because the EDCOM report is very thorough)," he said.

Acidre said he will also strengthen the country's SUCs and address job mismatch woes.

"[We have an] objective of ensuring that our higher education system is actually responsive to the needs of the industry, para hindi lang tayo nagbibilang kung ilan ang guma-graduate sa kolehiyo...pero nakikita rin natin kung ilan sa kanila ang nakakahanap ng trabaho, ilan sa kanila  ang nag-cocontribute talaga sa kabuuang ekonomiya natin (So that we do not only count those who are able to graduate, but also those who have secured jobs and contribute to our economy)," he said.