THE Department of Education has extended the consultation period of private schools planning to increase their tuition and other fees for school year 2023-2024.
The new consultation period was contained in a memorandum dated March 22, 2023 issued by Education Undersecretary Revsee Escobedo on behalf of Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte.
“The deadline for the conduct of consultation for tuition and other fee increases for school year 2023-2024 is extended from March 30, 2023 to June 15, 2023,” the memorandum said.
“In the same vein, the deadline for the submission of documentary requirements is extended from March 15, 2023 to June 30, 2023, “it added.
The memorandum directed DepEd regional directors to “review the application of new and or increases in tuition and other school fees under existing and applicable policies.”
In 2020, months after the lockdowns began due to the pandemic, DepEd urged private schools to defer their plans of increasing tuition and other school fees in light of the financial difficulties being faced by parents.
The order likewise moved the deadline for the renewal of permits to operate of private schools to April 15, 2023.
Private schools are supposed to have submitted their renewal requirements up to February 1, 2023.
The changes, according to DepEd, are “due to the adjustments made to the school calendar for the past three years due to the pandemic,” which also warrant the adjustment of the school calendar this school year.
Full face-to-face classes started in November 2022 but private schools were given some leeway by DepEd to decide if they would implement in-person learning or still go with the blended approach.
A total of 425 private schools have permanently closed since 2020 due to the pandemic.
About half of their 21,000 private school students have transferred to public schools.
