DepEd head reminds schools: Keep Xmas parties simple

As schools start preparations for their Christmas parties, Education Secretary Armin Luistro reminded them to keep their parties simple and austere. Luistro issued the reminder to officials of some 43,000 public elementary and high schools throughout the country, radio station dzRH reported. Luistro said it is not practical to spend so much for just one occasion, especially if the students' families cannot afford it. No-collection policy in schools Luistro earlier already warned public school officials not to collect various “fees" from students. Under the DepEd's no-collection policy, no fees shall be collected from children enrolling in pre-school up to Grade IV at any time during the school year. For school levels above Grade IV, there should be no collection during the enrollment period and the first month of classes. Contributions should be “purely voluntary" and may only start in the second month of every school year. This policy covers contributions for Boy Scouts of the Philippines, Girl Scouts of the Philippines, Red Cross, Anti-Tuberculosis Fund and Parent-Teacher Associations. Regulating the non-tuition costs of public education has been part of the DepEd's more aggressive effort to keep every school-age child in school as part of its “Education for All " commitment, a promise of 100-percent enrollment of all children of school age by 2015. Luistro said the no-collection policy is one of the government’s anti-poverty measures. The DepEd has also prohibited all public schools from imposing on students the wearing of uniforms or identification cards which could also be a financial burden for parents. Government has allotted a budget to shoulder the expense for identification cards. Also, Luistro made it clear that Parent-Teacher Associations are the only entity allowed to collect voluntary financial contributions. But he said the non-payment of contributions by parents shall not be a basis for non-admission or non-issuance of clearances to the child by the school. “No teacher or any school personnel shall be involved in such collection activities," he said. Luistro said his department is duty-bound to make sure children are in school, and such fees may discourage parents from sending their children to school. “Our goal here is to lessen the worries of parents about school fees which is one of the reasons why many children are out of school or have dropped out in the middle of schooling. If schools are collecting fees, they will be discouraging enrollment especially among the very poor. This is also why we have taken serious action against schools officials violating this policy," Luistro said. He advised concerned citizens to report any violation of these policies through DepEd’s hotline at 6361663,or email at action@deped.gov.ph. - HS, GMANews.TV