Country: Philippines                          
Title:    Policy Guidelines on Authorized Collection
Author:            Lourdes R. . Quisumbing, Secretary, DECS.  
Institution:       DECS
Citations:         DECS Order No. 40 and 44, s. 1988; DECS Order No.
                   54, s. 1989.  
Descriptors:       School Fees.  
Full text: Consistent with applicable laws, specifically Republic Act
  No. 6655, otherwise known as the "Free Public Secondary Education
  Act of 1988"and Republic Act No. 4725, entitled "An Act Prohibiting
  the Collection of Contibutions form School Children of Public
  Primary and Intermediate Schools," the following guidelines on
  authorized collections, are promulgated.

  1.  Policy on School Fees:

  a.  Effective 1 July 1988, any student enrolled in any public high
  school administered, managed and operated by DECS shall be exempt
  from payment of school fees.

  b.  Except as provided in Sec. 7 of Republic Act 6655, otherwise
  known as the "Free Public Secondary Education Act of 1988", no
  collection of any amount nor for any purpose shall be authorized in
  any public high school.

  c.  The payment of the authorized fees shall not be a requirement
  for enrollment purposes.  It may be paid any time during the school
  year.

  d.  The collection of the authorized fees shall be done through the
  principal or her designated representative, using official receipts
  for the purpose and depositing the same with the authorized
  designated official.

  e.  The following authorized fees may be collected as allowed in RA
  6655, namely:

  Ps 20 - Student Organization

     20. - Student Publication

  2.50 - Student ID

  f.  The collection of any amount other than those authorized by RA
  6655 is prohibited, and any unathorized collection shall subject
  the collector to administrative and penal sanctions.

  2.  Policy on PTA Membership and collections

  a.  Membership in a Parents Teachers Association shall strictly be
  on a voluntary basis.  No student whose parent is not a member of
  the PTA shall be discriminated upon as regards privileges and
  benefits made available to students of members.

  b.  The payment of any membership or other fees shall not be timed
  during the period of enrollment.  The exemption or payment by
  installment may be allowed, if any parent is financially
  handicapped.

  c.  The collection of the PTA membership and other fees shall be
  allowed, if voluntarily agreed upon and accepted by a majority of
  the membership of the PTA.  The collection should not be made
  during the period of enrolment to avoid misunderstanding that
  collections are required prior to enrolment.

  d.  The authorize collections as agreed upon by the PTA general
  membership shall be done by the PTA Treasurer or his
  representatives, using official PTA receipts and deposited with the
  authorized depository bank.

  e.  The public school official, teacher, employee or staff shall
  not participate in any collection activity of the PTA.

  3.  Policy on Handling of PTA Funds and Disbursements

  a.  Any collection made by the PTA shall be deposited with the
  authorized depository bank and shall be disbursed in accordance
  with the guidelines prescribed in its Constitutions and Bylaws.

  b.  No school official shall be involved in the safekeeping or
  disbursement of the PTA funds, provided any school official may
  present to the PTA a proposal for a program/project for funding
  support.

  4.  Policy on Non-Observance of Guidelines

  Any person, school or PTA official who does not observe these
  Guidelines or shall collect any amount in violation of existing
  laws, shall be dealt with in accordance with the applicable penal
  laws.  In addition, a public school official or teacher may be held
  liable administratively, if warranted.

  5.  Effectivity

  These Policy Guidelines shall be effective immediately, and strict
  compliance is hereby enjoined.