jimiToT
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« on: January 25, 2010, 08:37:08 PM » |
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Tertiary schools told to let students take exams despite unpaid fees
By Philip Tubeza
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 19:27:00 01/25/2010
Filed Under: Education, University, Schools
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) has ordered colleges and universities to allow students to take their midterm exams even if they have not fully paid their school fees.
Julito Vitriolo, CHEd executive director, said the order was issued after different groups, including lawmakers, called on the Commission to intervene and help parents cope with the economic crisis.
“All concerned HEIs (higher education institutions) are hereby requested to extend all possible assistance to students with outstanding balances in tuition and other fees due to financial difficulties,” said the memo signed by CHEd chair Emmanuel Angeles on January 22.
“HEIs shall extend utmost flexibility in the implementation of the `No permit, no examination’ policy they are adopting, if any, and any such policies that prohibit students from taking their periodic or final examination due to unpaid school accounts,” it said.
“As such, HEIs shall allow students with delinquent accounts to take school examinations,” it added.
The memo noted that as world market prices rise, the cost of basic commodities and services in the country had become “prohibitive.”
“Our intention is to help our students. Because of the economic crisis, students and their parents are having a hard time paying school fees or tuition,” Vitriolo added.
To ensure that students would eventually pay their school fees, Vitriolo said the schools could withhold their school clearances and require them to issue promissory notes.
“The schools have a remedy. They can withhold the clearance of students prior to graduation to make sure these students pay their dues,” Vitriolo said.
Vitriolo said that the order was effective immediately and that students could report to CHEd schools that violate the order.
“They can report to us so that we could contact our regional office to intervene and require the erring school to follow the order,” Vitriolo said.
Kabataan party-list Representative Mong Palatino praised CHEd for issuing the memo, which coincides with House Bill 6799 or the "Anti-No-Permit, No-Exam Policy" filed by Palatino himself on September 10, 2009.
The issuance of the memo was “very timely because schools are now in their midterm examination period,” he said.
Department of Education officials are also exerting varied efforts to keep students in school despite the economic crisis in order to meet improved education goals.
Earlier, Malacañang abolished rules on compulsory uniforms. For the poorest of the poor, social welfare programs offer cash incentives to families that keep children in school.
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