Students must not be deprived of grad experience - DepEd

CEBU, Philippines - Schools should not deprive students of experiencing a graduation ceremony even if they have existing financial obligations, the Department of Education 7 said.

“Tagaan nato’g chance ato’ng mga bata sa pagpaso,” DepEd Regional Director Recaredo Borgonia told The Freeman.

He said schools should exercise “reasonable consideration” in this regard, after all, they can just hold the students’ records and grades until such time that they can pay their dues.

Borgonia issued the statement following complaints that many private and public schools in the province have prevented students with unsettled accounts to join the graduation rites.

A private university in southern Cebu reportedly disallowed a student from joining her high school commencement exercises because she could not pay her tuition. The student’s parents appealed the decision, but the school reportedly insisted that they settle their P20,000 balance first.

Fortunately, the family managed to pay the amount just in time for the graduation, but the student’s other batches did not.

The college department of the same school reportedly has a strange policy in settling its students’ dues - graduating students who cannot pay their dues on time will not be included in the official list of graduates and those who pay after the deadline will be allowed to join the graduation ceremony, but their names will not be called.

The Freeman is withholding the name of the school pending official statement.

Borgonia said he will check the internal rules of private schools in the region because DepEd was reportedly not consulted when the private schools drafted the policies stipulated in their handbooks.

Borgonia said school heads and parents can actually arrive at policies that they are comfortable with implementing as regards graduation rites.

The DepEd central office earlier released a memorandum to public schools that graduation rites should be simple and solemn and that graduation contributions should only be voluntary.

Despite the order, many schools still reportedly collect payments for graduation. —(FREEMAN)