Almost 25% of private schools operate without licenses

As an estimated 25.7 million students trooped to schools on Monday to kick off another school year, Department of Education (DepEd) officials lamented that "colorum" or unregistered private schools remain a problem. Yolanda Quijano, DepEd Undersecretary for programs and projects, in an interview on dzBB radio on Monday, said about 25 percent of private schools have no licenses to operate. "Ang aming estimate, 75 percent ng schools may permit to operate," she said. "Wala kaming police power to close (colorum schools). Kailangan i-file sa korte. Marami na yan, maraming ganoon na problema, kailangan talaga isara," she added. Quijano said the DepEd is going through the list of schools with permits to operate. If a school is found to be operating without a permit, its students may transfer to an accredited school after taking a validation test, Quijano explained. She advised parents to check schools if they have permits to operate before enrolling their children there. "Sabi namin sa magulang kailangan bantayan kung may permit to operate ... Ngayon magiging istrikto na kami," she said. "Aayusin namin ngayong taon na ito, hindi na mangyayari yan," she added. Aside from the problem about colorum schools, the DepEd also faces problems of lack of teachers, books, and classrooms in public schools.

86% of students enrolled in public schools According to the DepEd, out of the 25.7 million students, 22.05 million (86 percent) are in public schools while some 3.65 million are in private schools. Some 15.47 million students are in the elementary level; 14.25 million students are in public schools, and 1.22 million are in private schools. Some 7.73 million students are in the secondary level; 5.85 million students in public schools and 1.88 million in private schools. This year, the DepEd is also expecting 1.93 million kindergarten pupils under its universal kindergarten program. DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro said the department's "Education For All" program aims to increase enrollment in schools. “Our measures are not only geared towards the opening of classes but also to enjoin parents to send their children to school," he said in a press statement of the DepEd. “The only way to achieve higher outcomes in these preparations is to engage all sectors of society. DepEd is very grateful for the overwhelming support of our stakeholders to our programs," he added. The recently concluded "Brigada Eskwela" tapped local communities, local government units, private sector and non-government organizations in the repair and construction of school buildings. The DepEd also organized a Oplan Balik Eskwela (OBE) campaign to ensure the safety of students returning to schools for school year 2011-2012. “With all of these preparations, we can be assured that no student will skip the first day of the school year. I urge parents, teachers and the entire community to actively participate and ensure that our children are in school for the opening of classes," added Luistro. No-collection policy Meanwhile, DepEd undersecretary Tonisito Umali reminded teachers and school administrators against collecting fees from students, especially in June and July. "Sa voluntary collection napakalinaw. Lahat na collection voluntary lang, hindi pwedeng sapilitan. Ang sinumang pilit mangolekta maaring patawan ng administrative complaint," Umali said in an interview on dwIZ radio. Under DepEd policy, he said there will be no collection, even if voluntary, for Grades I to IV. For Grade V to fourth year high school, voluntary contributions can start only in August, and will include:

Boy/Girl Scout fees, up to P50

Anti-TB fund drive, P5

Parent-Teacher Association fee, must be "reasonable" and subject to consultations, and

School publication: P60 for elementary students and P90 for high school students. Umali said the school principal and the official doing unauthorized collections will be held liable. NCR concern: Lack of space for new classrooms Umali said the DepEd's concern in Metro Manila is the lack of space to build classrooms. "Wala nang lupa na pwedeng pagtayuan. Medyo ang classroom to pupil ratio umaabot 1 is to 60," he said. He admitted that in some schools, some classrooms have to accommodate around 70 to 80 students. There are at least two shifts per day, from 6:00 a.m. to noon, and noon to 6:00 p.m. Umali said the ideal ratio is one teacher for every 25 kindergarten students; one teacher for every 45 elementary students; and five teachers of three classes of 45 high school students. On the other hand, he said the ideal ratio of textbooks is one for each student and that the DepEd needs to "acquire 95 million textbooks" to achieve this. He said DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro is aiming to address "50 to 75 percent" of that shortage. "Kami ay nananalig na sa dalawa o tatlong taon, itong deka-dekadang problema ng silid-aralan at kakulangan ng guro sa loob ng administrasyon ni Pangulong Aquino ay masolusyunan na," he said. Umali said that while the DepEd has the biggest budget among government agencies this year at P207 billion, 80 percent of it goes to the salaries of teachers. He said the DepEd has about 550,000 teaching and non-teaching personnel. Of these, about 510,000 are teachers. - VVP, GMA News