FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2 MAY 2008

No collection policy in all public elementary

and high school - Lapus
Education Secretary Jesli Lapus recently reiterated his order to strictly enforce
the prohibition of collection of any fees from school children enrolling in pre-
school up to Grade 4 during the enrolment period and at anytime during the
school year.

Lapus stressed this directive once again at the regular DepEd management
committee conference held Wednesday at DepEd’s Pasig headquarters. The no
collection policy was contained in a DepEd Order No. 19 series of 2008.

The prohibition covers the authorized but voluntary contributions such as

membership to Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP), Girl Scouts of the
Philippines (GSP), Red Cross, Anti-TB fund and Parents Teachers Community
Association.

“This move is in line with our Constitutional mandate to provide free public
education at the elementary and secondary levels,” said Lapus.

School day opening is usually marred with confusion arising from parents’
complaints of collection by some school authorities. During the 2007 opening of
classes almost 90 percent of queries in the DepEd hotlines were about school
fees.

According to Lapus there is an urgent need to remove obstacles to the

enrolment of school-age children. “These obstacles include the out-of-pocket
costs which families have to bear in the course of sending their children to
school,” Lapus noted.

Any violation will subject the erring DepEd personnel to administrative sanction.

Lapus added that for grade and year levels beyond Grade 4, no collection of any
type should be undertaken during the enrolment period and the first month of
classes. Starting on the second month, however, contributions for BSP, GSP,
PTCA Red Cross, Anti-TB Fund, school publication and membership in student
publications may be collected but only on a voluntary basis.

PTCAs may start collection only after presenting to members and to the school
administration a report on the utilization of the previous school year’s
collections. The amount of PTCA contribution shall be agreed upon in a general
assembly of the PTCA.

OSEC COMMUNICATIONS | DEPED COMPLEX, MERALCO AVENUE, PASIG CITY 1600

T (02) 6316033 | F (02) 6364876 | WEBSITE www.deped.gov.ph | EMAIL depedcommunications@gmail.com
Meanwhile, school publication fee shall be set at the school level but shall not
be more than P60 per elementary school pupil and P90 per secondary school
student. The publication of a school newspaper, while not mandatory, is
strongly encouraged, particularly at the secondary level in line with the DepEd’s
campus journalism program.

Relative to this, the membership fees for student organizations shall be set by
the organization subject to school policies on student organizations.

Lapus also stressed that pupils/students who are promoted to the next grade or
year level are considered automatically enrolled for the coming school year in
the same school.

“Only pupils entering first grade, students entering first year high school and
transferees from another public school or a private school need to enroll during
the enrolment period,” he emphasized.

Returning pupils/ students shall report only for sectioning purposes or any other
pre-opening preparations as determined by the school administrators.

To ensure that operating funds are available at the start of the schoolyear,
schools division superintendents are directed to release Maintenance and Other
Operating Expenses (MOOE) funds to schools without fiscal autonomy in the
form of cash advance.

END

OSEC COMMUNICATIONS | DEPED COMPLEX, MERALCO AVENUE, PASIG CITY 1600

T (02) 6316033 | F (02) 6364876 | WEBSITE www.deped.gov.ph | EMAIL depedcommunications@gmail.com