I remember when I was a kid I used to bring home a small green envelope given to me by my teacher-adviser for my Mom. My Nanay, as I used to call her, would normally frown when she take it from me.  There it was written the monetary value of my education – the culprit – the dreaded tuition fee payment notice.

This is not the same story with my classmates.  Many of them are paid in advance so they are not given the “green envelope” every month just like me.  I remember they wore better clothes and shoes (almost always looking new), the latest trendy bags, nice school supplies and most of all, bigger “baon”.

When you talk about spending money for school (aka tuition fees), there are many versions to a story.  This is inevitable as pricing is relative.

In the Philippines, where money was deemed scarce, high costs of education drives more parents to work for more money and look for the school that fits their budget.  Sometimes, money is not even enough for the daily expenses that the tendency is take the kids out of school. While the relatively fewer lucky kids are being taught at schools, majority of the Filipino kids drop out as early as the elementary days.

Shrinking classes typically happen year on year.  If you’re like me, I lost a lot of friends as I go up higher levels from elementary to high school to college.  And there is one major culprit, again, the dreaded TUITION fee.

There are 3 types of parents in the Philippines when it comes to money for education:

• Type 1 Parents - are those parents who can spend as much as they can for their kid’s private schooling without hurting their budget.  These parents normally have high income and/or huge wealth such that tuition fees are not an issue.  They normally pay the schools in advance and get better discounts in doing so.  The majority of them also has higher budget for clothing, transportation and daily expenses (aka “baon”).
• Type 2 Parents – are typically those parents who have been living paycheck by paycheck.  Although they sometimes try to imitate the Type 1 Parents by sending their kids to a Class A or Class B private schools, they would normally pay the tuition fees  in installments and have a very tight budget on the daily baon of the kids. Included in this group are those parents who are sending their kids to public schools.
• Type 3 Parents – are those who really cant afford a private education.  These are the poor people who are on the survival mode and would trade off food for the mind with the food for body.

To me, tuition fee is a major consideration in choosing a school.  I am talking here as a Type 2 Parent coming from being a Type 2 student.  I know how it feels to be ashamed at times when I am almost prevented from taking the periodical examinations because of non-payment of tuition fees.

So to find the best school for your kids, you have to find the one that is right for your budget without sacrificing much of the quality education your child deserves.  It has to match your income level, budget constraints and return on investment (ROI) expectations.

Here are some tips and tricks in order to help you determine if the school you are considering is the best bang for your buck:

1. Visit the school personally and talk to the principal or the head of school.  Your purpose is to know what you can expect for the money you will be investing.  If the school head is willing to discuss with you all the expenses associated in their school, then it has passed the first test for value for money.

2. Next, ask for a prospectus of what your kids will learn from these schools.  Are the subjects current or out of date?  Are the topics beyond, just right, or below the level of your child’s knowledge? If they are within your expectations, then the school has passed the 2nd test for value of money.

3. Based on No 2 above, ask the school to show you the books that will be used by your kid.  If its not available in school, ask for the titles and authors and try to see this at your local bookstore.  Skim through the textbooks and check if they are aligned with your expectations.  It all is OK, then the school has passed the 3rd test.

4. Take a tour of the school.  Check the facilities.  Ask the school admin what processes they have in school that will make sure that the place will be clean at all times

5. Do they have sufficient security measures in place?  Do they have enough manpower to ensure safety within and outside the school.  Are they strict in their implementation of security measures?  If you find that the school has a very tight security (that even you are subjected to), then it passed the test.

6. Are the classrooms just about right for the kids to move or you find it too small? Ask for teacher-to-student ratio.  Determine if it is within the ideal limit.  For example, a 1:50 teacher-student ratio is a bit high for private school whereas it is typical for a public school.   If you are being quoted higher than your expectation, this must be the reason why.

7. Consider the transportation to and from school.  Do you have to pay for school bus or the kids will use a family car going in and out of school?  How much daily transporation it will cost you?  If the school is too far from your home that it outweighs most of the other expenses, then think again.  Daily expenses is more often than not much expensive than the annual tuition fee of the kids.

8.  And last but not the least, ask for the miscellaneous expenses that you have to pay for the full year including those that will be spent on school outings, school events and projects.  There are schools which quotes a lower tuition fee but you will be surprised to find out that the miscellaneous expenses are exorbitant.

After you have taken notes of the above, compute, compute and compare those schools that you are considering.  Remember that lower cost does not mean its a winner.  You should be able to gauge the best among the pack by also analyzing the qualitative factors such as faculty, school reputation in the community, students feedback and more importantly parents’ reviews.

As they say, there are so many ways to skin a school better yet dissect it into relevant pieces. But the basic question is, can you afford it. If you answered yes then the test is over.

Have a terrific day!

Manny J2 (3 votes, average: 0.00 out of 5)
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