Saturday, May 26, 2007 Education chief: No forced collections allowed
EDUCATION Secretary Jesli Lapus said public elementary and secondary schools are not allowed to force students to pay school fees as a prerequisite to enrollment.
"Every child has the right to free education," Lapus said. "Our children should never be stopped from going to school simply because they cannot pay these voluntary contributions," he added.
Lapus said the Department of Education (DepEd) prohibits public schools from requiring payment of contributions before admission. Citing DepEd Order 20 (series 2006), Lapus said that public school students should be enrolled without being compelled to pay the fees. Contributions, whether for student activities or for upgrading of school facilities, can only be collected from students on a voluntary basis.
He also said the authorized fees are for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Red Cross and the Anti-TB campaign. Where applicable, schools are also allowed to collect contributions for their school papers and for DepEd recognized student organizations. The contributions should be collected by the school's parents-teachers association/parents-teachers-community associations (PTA/PTCAs).
In reiterating DepEd Order 20, Lapus called on school heads to post an announcement at the entrance of their respective schools stating that "Enrollment does not require the payment of any contributions/fees and all contributions/fees being collected are not prerequisites for enrollment and are voluntary in nature."
"I call on our school officials and PTCAs to help us in this crusade to ensure access to basic education is provided for all Filipino children," Lapus said. "Let's all work together to make our dream of Education For All Filipinos a reality." (Press release)
