DepEd to allow students to graduate sans clearance

CEBU, Philippines - Students in Cebu will no longer have to complete clearance before they will be allowed to take the exam and graduate.

This was ordered by Department of Education Cebu Provincial Superintendent Arden Monisit. A clearance, he said, will only be asked to make sure that school and DepEd properties are returned by the students after graduating.

“Ang clearance gamiton aron pagpaningil sa school properties nga gigamit sa students like computer, garden tools, books, ug uban pa. Dili ni requirement para maka-graduate. Ang clearance dapat adto na sa April or May,” Monisit said.

School officials must not use this to threaten students, as earlier said by regional director Juliet Jeruta. Verbal order was made by Monisit in a meeting with school principals Tuesday.

A formal memorandum by Monisit was set for release this week to all schools under the Cebu Province Division.

The order came after two high school students in Daanbantayan committed suicide allegedly because of their teacher’s refusal to sign their clearance.

A “deeper” investigation has been ordered by Jeruta into the circumstances that led to the suicide of the students.

The probe aims to determine whether or not the teacher is liable in the suicide as it was alleged that the teacher did not sign the clearance of the students due to misbehavior in class.

The follow up investigation was recommended by the fact-finding team conducted by the division office led by the legal team. — (FREEMAN)