NEGROS Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. has joined the call for schools to hold a simple but meaningful graduation.
"Let us be frugal in our way of living. However, some parents especially here in Negros would usually have a grand celebration for their graduating child," Marañon said.
As graduation season nears, the Department of Education (DepEd) reminded public and private elementary and secondary schools to refrain from collecting graduation fees and to hold simple graduation rites.
Education Secretary Armin Luistro reminded school heads and teachers to keep graduation rites simple and avoid lavish graduation ceremonies, which may be an additional financial burden to parents.
DepEd Order No. 4 released recently highlights its policy on the conduct and collection of fees for graduation rites.
No "extravagant special attire" or extraordinary venue should be required.
To do away with additional expenses, City Schools Division Superintendent Gemma Ledesma said that Luistro has issued Memorandum Order No. 9 to require the graduating students in public schools to simply wear their school uniforms during their graduation rites.
In Bacolod, the graduation programs are set on March 27 and 28.
“We expect graduates to just wear their uniforms because expenses in the conduct of the activity will be charged to the maintenance and other operating expenses of public schools,” she said.
Ledesma said the opening of classes will be on the first Monday of June and they hope that parents will not wait until June to enroll their students. They have already conducted the advance enrollment last January 28.
Ledesma said they want all students to be counted earlier so they can prepare for the opening of classes.
If the students are enrolled earlier, they will have enough time to prepare if there are additional classrooms and teachers needed, she said.
It is not easy to acquire resources before the opening of classes, she said, citing for example that the construction of a school building would take months to prepare.
Enrollment is free so they just have to go to the school to confirm the enrollment of their children, Ledesma added.