MANILA, Philippines – A Senate bill has been filed seeking to penalize the imposition of a “no permit, no exam” policy in schools, which prohibits students with unpaid financial dues from taking examinations.

Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, chairman of the Senate education committee, filed Senate bill 1235 which seeks to declare as unlawful for a school, university, or college to disallow any student from taking any tests due to non-payment of tuition and other school fees.

The parents or legal guardian of the students, in turn, are required to provide a promissory note addressed to the school, indicating the amount and the date of payment.

The proposed measure covers private grade schools and high schools, public and private post-secondary technical-vocation institutes, and public and private universities and colleges.

It also prohibits requiring students to secure a special permit from school authorities prior to the administration of tests. Violators face a fine of P20,000 to P50,000.

Aquino, in his explanatory note, said such “discriminatory practice” in schools adds to the anxiety of students and parents themselves who are unable to pay tuition and miscellaneous fees on time.

“This legislation will greatly benefit students and families who suffer financial distress during the examination season and uphold the dignity of every student in schools,” he said.

There have been incidents of students who reportedly took their own lives because of school fee problems.

Schools also protected?

The senator said the measure also seeks to protect the right of schools “by putting in place measures that protect [their] right to fair payment for tuition and miscellaneous fees.”

The bill said the school has the right to pursue recovery of unpaid dues through “proper court action.”

“The school shall reserve the right to pursue the recovery of the unpaid tuition fees through proper court action where civil rights and liabilities may be judicially established and collected,” the measure said.

“This shall not prohibit the student, parents, or legal guardians to seek informal means of resolving tuition fee disputes or enter into an agreement with the school before proceeding to court,” it said.

Senator Cynthia Villar filed a similar bill, Senate Bill 722, but it only covers private and public colleges, universities, and tech-vocational institutions.

The proposed measure mandates that students, unless waived by school authorities, shall be obligated to pay and interest of not more than 5% per year.

Similar bills have been filed in past session of Congress but they never prospered. The measures were approved only on the first of 3 readings and were referred to the committee on education only. – Rappler.com