ALMOST SIX million students enrolled in public and private schools for the 2020-21 academic year, the Department of Education said. In some levels it requires the conduct of quarterly exams due to the suspension of regular classes during the Luzon lockdown while others waived the final exams covered by community quarantines.
The state shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all. Senate Bill No. 311, authored by Senator Miguel Zubiri, upholds this right especially in cases where students are not allowed to take exams or attend classes due to non-payment or late payment of tuition and other school fees.
Further, this bill seeks to prohibit such acts and penalizes educational institutions found to have committed such practice. No one can deny that school tuition has been going on a steady rise plus the burden of buying laptops, tablets and internet fees for online classes amid the COVID19 pandemic. Considering the other expenses a family has to spend on, it has become difficult for some parents to pay for their children’s tuition on time. No child should be denied his or her right to education due to financial troubles. It is the hope of this bill to ease the worry of parents with respect to their children’s education and ultimately protect every student’s right to education as they continue to learn, grow, and participate in and outside of school.
This act shall be known as the “Banning a No Permit, No Exam Policy Act.” Thus, it is hereby declared unlawful for any educational institution, whether public or private to disallow any student from taking any examination due to non-payment of tuition and other school fees.
This act shall cover the following educational institutions: (a) Private elementary schools; (b) Private secondary schools; (c) Public and private post-secondary technical-vocational institutes; and (d) Public and private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), including local colleges and universities.
Schools shall be prohibited from adopting a “No Permit, No Exam Policy,” which limits the right of every student to take examinations notwithstanding the existence of unpaid financial obligations to the school. Provided, that the parents or legal guardian of the student provide a promissory note, addressed to the school, indicating the amount and the date of payment. The school shall reserve the right to pursue the recovery of the unpaid tuition fees through proper court action where civil rights and liabilities may be judicially established and collected. This shall not prohibit the student, parents, or legal guardians to seek informal means of resolving tuition disputes or enter into an agreement with the school before proceeding to court.
The following acts shall be prohibited: a) Disallowing students with due and unpaid tuition and other school fees from taking examinations or providing a different schedule of exam from the rest of the student body; and b) Requiring the students to secure a special permit to take the examinations from the school authorities prior to the administration of examinations.
Any educational institution official or employee, including deans, coordinators, advisers, professors, instructors, principals, teachers, and other concerned individuals found guilty of violating any of the unlawful acts enumerated shall be punished by a fine of not less than Twenty Thousand Pesos (P20,000.00) but not more than Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000.00).