CHED bans ‘no permit, no exam’ policy in colleges

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) issued a memorandum to all private and public colleges and state universities barring them from implementing a “no permit, no exam policy.”

The “no permit, no exam” policy is a common rule enforced by schools to ensure that students pay tuition on time.

The CHED memorandum has ordered that “higher education institutions shall allow students with delinquent accounts to take school examinations” upon presentation of a promissory note on the settlement of the account.

The order became effective on January 22.

CHED Director IV Julito Vitriolo said it would be a waste if a student flunks a semester because of tuition issues.

Ched’s decision, however, did not sit well with the Federation of Associations of Private Schools and Administrators (Fapsa), which argued that a school could not survive merely on promissory notes.

“[The problem with government is] they issue statements or they issue decrees . . . based on popularity, not on what is reasonable,” said Fapsa President Eleazardo Kasilag.

Ched, for its part, said schools have the right to withhold any student’s documents, including clearance and report cards, should they fail to settle their financial obligations.

Relatedly, Rep. Raymond Pala-tino of Kabataan Party-list welcomed Ched’s decision, saying it was “very timely.”

The party-list has pushed for a similar bill at the Lower House, but decided not to pursue it further after Ched released its order.

Palatino clarified, however, that deferring the move does not mean that they would archive the bill. He also urged students to call his party (Tel. No. 354-1054) for any help on the CHED policy. –Francis Earl Cueto, Manila Times