Graduation austerity is a myth

In these times of hardship worsened by over-population - over-flowing at the seams - the ready lip service as clarion call is austerity. "Pagdaginot" for the Cebuanos.

The Department of Education has always harped on simple graduation ceremonies for the secondary and elementary levels. The SOP advisory is for graduating classes to wear school uniforms without indulging in rented togas. Few days ago, DepEd came out with forceful "no graduation fees" advisory plus a dangling threat of sanction for non-compliance. And, if the occasion be feted with graduation parties, they should be simple, affordable to the poor parents who could not make both ends meet. The venue for the graduation ceremonies and the simple party be held on the school campus, and nowhere else, so DepEd orders.

In most community schools in interior barrios, by sheer necessity and down-to-earth pragmatism, frugal preparations for commencement programs and the spartan meal among graduates and parents, don't detract the joyous solemnity of the celebration.

It's in the cities, towns, and/or suburban communities, that the ritzy taste or predilection for a touch of pomp gets in the way of the austerity policy. Until now, however, the Grade Six graduates of the public schools, may be amenable to graduation exercises right on the school grounds, in school uniform or presentable attire, and simple whipped-up meal thereafter also inside the schools. Possibly, it's the highbrow private elementary schools that prefer the "bongga" affair.

In urban high schools, the students and teachers may "connive" in "persuading" the parents in a PTA meeting wherein the many "can't afford" parents become the minority. They have to agree to the argument that graduation at any school level, comes only once in the student's life which must be accorded special celebration, and even some parental "sacrifice" and "bleeding".

Incidentally, the parents often dread PTA meetings because they invariably connote "amot", especially the PTA meeting preparatory to closing or commencement exercises. To carry on a cruel joke, "PTA" now reads as "Pa, Tapli ang Amot", as if freeing the teachers from any obligation. Say, at the risk of being rebuked, have you ever heard of any PTA wherein the teachers themselves contribute to a PTA undertaking or project?

Anyway, the PTA consensus as pre-arranged, would turn out as: "not too lavish but presentable" with "toga" to highlight the formality; semi-formal dress for girls, white shirt with tie for boys; the venue at the CICC or some other classy venue but not on the campus; a catered "simple" 4-course buffet; and, the contribution pegged at "only" P500 each.

    The hard-up parents constituting the real majority may just mumble their protests for fear of being embarrassed. One way of avoidance is to have their ward as "awol" from the affair, resulting in mild trauma, or the onset of inferiority complex. Others may manage to eke out cash advance on their daily wage payroll, but many resort to "5/6 borrowing".

There's no quibbling for the opulent patronizing private high schools with high standards, never mind the high tuition and other fees. But, what about the hard-up who have no choice but to gravitate to the free public high schools? Realistically though, the classes "D" and "E" have to get shocked that the term "free" is misleading because for a given school year, the parents have to meet school expenses, other than daily "bawon", transport fare and daily class needs, an average of not less than P1,000 per child.

Thus, the austerity admonition is often a useless call because the usual practice in commencement exercises, frugality is getting to be a myth.

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