By Alec Go
With 259 affirmative votes, the House of Representatives passed on final reading on Monday, May 8, the proposed “No Permit, No Exam Prohibition Act,” barring schools from disallowing students with unpaid school fees to take examinations.
Filed as House Bill 7584, this will cover all elementary and secondary students enrolled in private basic education institutions once enacted into law.
Based on the bill, students with unsettled fees will be allowed to take exams subject to their guardians’ submission of a promissory note before the exams.
The bill also noted that the payment postponement should not go beyond the school year unless allowed by the school.
However, if all previous delinquencies are unsettled, the proposed law would allow schools to “to withhold the issuance of appropriate clearance and transfer credentials” and refuse the students’ enrollment in the next enrollment period.
“With this important legislation, we hope to democratize access to private basic education, and allow our learners the chance to take exams if they have valid reasons for the non-payment of their tuition and other school fees,” House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said.
“We acknowledge that there are unforeseen emergencies and events that could prevent a family from paying their obligations but this should not jeopardize the learning and welfare of students,” he added.
Administrative sanctions will be imposed on private institutions found guilty of violating the law, while administrative and disciplinary sanctions will be meted out to parents, guardians, or learners found guilty of committing fraud to avail themselves of the law’s benefits.
The bill was authored by Reps. Roman Romulo, Manuel Jose Dalipe, Gus Tambunting, Marvin Rillo, Camille Villar, Salvador Pleyto, France Castro, Ma. Rene Ann Lourdes Matibag, Jaye Lacson-Noel, and others. – gb