DepEd, CHED urged to suspend schools' 'no permit, no final exams' policy

MANILA, Philippines - Youth party list group Kabataan issued a call to the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to urge all state universities and colleges, public and private schools to suspend the implementation of a “no permit, no final exams” policy this month.

Kabataan Rep. Raymond Palatino said that DepEd and CHED can exert its authority over schools to shield students from worry, harassment and humiliation by working against the implementation of the “no permit, no final exams” policy usually imposed in private schools in previous years.

Palatino said that DepEd and CHED can reiterate previous issuances of DepEd, during the time of Education Secretary Jesli Lapus and CHED chairman Emmanuel Angeles, against the said policy.

“In the throes of the school examination period and the wave of price hikes including the unabated increase of tuition and other fees over the last ten years, our schools and education agencies should ensure that students with pending arrears will be allowed to take their examinations,” Palatino said.

DepEd and CHED released early last year memo orders No.15 and No. 02, respectively, that urge schools to disband any prohibitive policy that disallows students to take their exams due to unpaid tuition and other fees. The two agencies, Palatino said, had confirmed the orders to be still valid for this school year.