The No Permit No Exams Policy ban

Senator Manuel Villar did not specify if his proposal to ban the No Permit No Exams Policy should apply to both public and private education.

If he meant this for state universities and colleges only, I support his good move because perhaps it would lessen the number of suicides by the poor studying in public schools. Indeed, the state should not provide billions of subsides to public education only to have poor students suffering because greedy SUCs still collect.

The application of the proposed ban to private education is totally a different matter. It is like ordering BDO to give loans to customers without collaterals or  Pag-ibig to release titles without full payment.

Last month, the nurses. Now the Villars are besetting private educators!

Unlike state schools, private schools live on a month to month basis. Most private schools allow private students to have promissory notes during term exams except the finals when the No Permit No Exams Policy is imposed. It is at this time that school owners collect school fees and pay their own promissory notes to creditors!

Private schools receive  no government subsidies and depend on school fees for salaries repair, maintenance, operating and administrative expenses. Many borrow money to pay the Christmas bonuses and 13th month pay, and for new capital investments.

Legislation against private education may just as well include legislation for anybody, just anybody to enter a bank and withdraw money without a passbook.

We have Exam's Permit, student clearance, faculty clearance, enshrined in the school manual as part of value education that we teach parents and students about being good citizens  to protect private schools from bankruptcy.

At the end of the semester or school year, the “ship” has reached the port and “passengers” who were allowed boarding without ticket must now pay before disembarking. And that's fair.

Thank you.

DR. AGUIDO A. MAGDADARO

Cebu Sacred Heart College System

Lawaan I, Talisay City, Cebu

Tel. No. (032) 272-4347