GMA orders strict enforcement of no fee collection policy in schools

MANILA, Philippines – President Arroyo has ordered the Department of Education (DepEd) to strictly enforce the policy against the collection of any fees from pre-school up to grade four in public schools.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said that for students in grade five up to high school, the President ordered that any collection would be on a voluntary basis and done only after the first 30 days of the school year.

Lapus pointed out that the voluntary contributions would include donations to the Philippine National Red Cross, anti-tuberculosis and the Girls and Boys Scouts of the Philippines as allowed by law.

He explained that a lot of the parents end up keeping their children at home rather than send them to schools that collect fees early in the school year.

The DepEd will also continue to enforce the policy of allowing students to wear civilian clothes in public schools or whatever is more economical for parents. Lapus also noted a Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) report that there is no substantial increase in the prices of basic school supplies such as notebooks, pad paper, pens and pencils.

He said they would like to remove all financial restrictions in public schools so that more children can attend class.

“We would like to increase the participation rate. So we are removing all of the financial obstacles so that all children of school age would attend classes,” Lapus said in Filipino.

He noted that the current participation rate is 85 percent while the target of the government is to bring this up to 100 percent.

The DepEd has been busy preparing for the opening of classes next month and according to Lapus, everything will go in full swing next week with the start of the annual Oplan Balik Eskwela.

Lapus said he does not anticipate any mass transfers of students from private to public schools this year despite the economic crisis.

Private schools have heeded the President’s call not to hike their tuition fees this year, he said.

However, he claimed that a lot of private school teachers have transferred to public schools because of better pay.

Public school teachers are expecting an increase in salary, which would be done through legislation now pending in Congress.

The government also subsidizes the education of some students in private institutions and according to Lapus, the program has already been finalized for this year.

He pointed out that the government subsidizes around 48 percent of all private high school students, equivalent to about 650,000 students.

The government provides vouchers worth P5,000 per student a year, costing the government approximately P4 billion.

The DepEd said it saved at least P2.9 billion in classroom repair and beautification because of the nationwide activities of Brigada Eskwela or National Schools Maintenance Week.

DepEd assistant secretary for finance Jesus Galvan told The STAR that the savings were credited to the volunteer working hours provided by teachers, parents, students, community volunteers and donations from various sectors, such as construction materials.

Galvan, who led the launching of Brigada Eskwela at the Catbangen Elementary School in San Fernando, La Union, said volunteers cleaned and repainted school buildings, classrooms and planted trees. –-Marvin Sy with Rainier Allan Ronda, Jun Elias, Philippine Star