QC college students protest mandatory P8,000 academic activity

Nearly 10 students of Mary the Queen College of Quezon City have filed a complaint with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) over an allegedly mandatory ₱8,000 academic activity, which they claim is being imposed as a requirement for taking their final examinations.

In a complaint submitted this October, the students accused the institution of violating CHED Memorandum Order No. 63, Series of 2017, which governs local off-campus activities.

The complaint stemmed from School Memorandum No. 10-14, dated 14 October 2026, requiring students to pay ₱8,000 for a parallel academic activity scheduled in Pampanga.

The students argued that the requirement imposed an excessive financial burden and effectively penalized those who did not participate in an earlier educational tour.

One complainant said the previous off-campus activity, which covered three destinations in Luzon, cost ₱12,600.

“It was last month, but I did not join because it is too expensive, it is 12,600. If ever [students] will not join, our school has rules, which is mandatory, that we have to pay P8,000,” the student said.

She explained that her family could not afford the additional expense because she and her sibling were both studying while paying for dormitory accommodations, meals, transportation and school projects.

According to the memorandum obtained by the Daily Tribune, the ₱8,000 fee covers venue rental, meals, speakers, team-building activities, transportation, materials, logistics and certificates.

The complainants also wrote to the school's Office of Student Affairs and Services, questioning why students who did not join the earlier tour were required to pay for an alternative activity to secure academic clearance.

“The primary local education tour has already taken place, yet students who stayed behind are still being forced to settle this exorbitant P8,000 fee for the parallel activity just to get regular academic clearance for their upcoming final exams,” their letter stated.

School says activity still a proposal

Reached for comment Wednesday, school personnel told the Daily Tribune that Mary the Queen College had already responded to CHED within 24 hours of receiving its notice.

They also maintained that the disputed parallel academic activity had not yet been implemented.

“The [activity has] not yet been implemented,” one school representative said.

“It is just a proposal to be approved. The parallel activity we have mentioned is just a proposal to be approved. It is still to be approved,” another representative added.

However, the institution announced on its official Facebook page Monday that the activity had been rescheduled from 27 October to 6 November.

The announcement said the postponement was intended to give students and parents more time to prepare, particularly for the necessary arrangements and payments.

The complainants maintain that the activity's mandatory nature and cost violate CHED regulations.

CHED has yet to issue a publicly reported ruling on the complaint.