LAS Piñas Rep. Camille Villar yesterday urged the House leadership to include in its list of priority bills the passage of a measure banning the restrictive “no permit, no exam” policy in educational institutions which has already been approved on second reading in the plenary.
Villar, one of the principal authors of House Bill 7584 or “An Act Allowing Elementary and Secondary Learners with Unpaid Tuition and Other School Fees to Take the Periodic and Final Examinations on Good Cause and Justifiable Grounds,” said that if passed into law, the measure will provide relief to families facing economic difficulties.
“Poverty should not be an issue to get quality education,” she said. “Students should not be barred from taking exams due to their inability to pay tuition and other school fees at the time of their examinations. Hindi lang sa kolehiyo nangyayari ito ngayon kundi pati sa elementary at high school (This does not only happen in the collegiate level but also in elementary and high school).”
The House, which is set to resume sessions on May 8 after its Holy Week recess, approved the bill on second reading before lawmakers went on break last March. The counterpart measure, Senate Bill No. 1359, was already approved on third and final reading.
Under the measure, private basic educational institutions shall adopt appropriate policies to accommodate and allow learners, who, due to emergencies, force majeure, and good cause or other justifiable reasons, have unsettled financial obligations, to take scheduled periodic exams.
Parents or guardians, however, must execute promissory notes for the settlement of the outstanding financial obligation. Any deferment of payment of unpaid balance shall not go beyond the school year, except when allowed by the school.
Once it becomes a law, schools found guilty of violating the measure will be sanctioned.
