ALL public elementary and secondary school students in Bacolod City will no longer pay the miscellaneous fees being imposed by their schools.
The Bacolod City Council recently approved on its third and final reading an ordinance granting the free miscellaneous fees.
The ordinance was authored by Councilor Caesar Distrito, chairman of committee on appropriations and finance, with co-authors Councilors Ricardo Tan, Cindy Rojas, Renecito Novero, Em Legaspi Ang, Elmer Sy, Ana Marie Palermo, Dindo Ramos, Sonya Verdeflor, and Bartolome Orola.
rThe Department of Education(DepEd) noted that the Division of Bacolod City currently has 70,602 elementary pupils, 29, 788 Junior High students, and 2,105 Senior High students.
The ordinance stated that the City Government will shoulder the miscellaneous fees paid by the students of public schools every enrollment such as, the Boy and Girl Scout fees, athletics/cultural fees, Philippine Red Cross fee, and the school paper/ID fees.
Distrito said that despite such uplifting provisions in the constitution, many constituents are still hesitant in sending their children to school because as far as reality is concerned, they are worried that they cannot pay the fees imposed by the schools which are usually made as a condition precedent for the enrollment or graduation of the students.
He added that the DepEd has issued several orders that mandated the implementation of “No Collection Policy” in all public elementary and secondary schools and expressly mentioned the fees that can be collected
from students but on voluntary basis.
“Even if DepEd had made adamant policies on the ‘No Collection Policy,’ still most public schools continue to collect fees from students and even made it as compulsory requirement,” he added.
