Learning institutions told to waive surcharges

City officials appealed to private schools and learning institutions in the city to forgo the imposition of surcharges on tuition fee balances of their students for the school year 2020-2021.

Under Resolution No. 570, series of 2021, local legislators recognized the concerns raised by many parents when some private schools and learning institutions in the city imposed surcharges on tuition fee balances of their children.

The council claimed that as parents, they are very much willing to settle the unpaid tuition fee of their children but they are appealing if the concerned schools can forgo the additional charges since their sources of income have been heavily impacted by the prevailing health crisis.

Earlier, numerous parents whose children transferred from private to public schools have outstanding balances in their former schools. 

The body noted that in spite of the lack of transfer credentials, the said students had been accepted by the public schools on condition that they shall soon submit their enrollment requirements to make their admission official.

According to the council, it is the policy of the State to give priority to education, science and technology, arts, culture, and sports to foster patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote development.

Moreover, it stipulated that education is a huge social investment which is essential in attaining functional literacy and possessing important life competencies, and it plays a vital role in shaping the minds, aptitude and life skills of learners.

The city, which is known as the educational center of the north being host to student-friendly schools, colleges and universities providing quality and affordable education through the years.

However, the council claimed that due to the adverse effect of the prevailing Corona Virus Disease 2019 pandemic, many families have allegedly lost their sources of income affecting their capacity to meet the financial requirements for the continuous education of their children.

As a result, many parents have decided to transfer their children to public schools  but the enrollment of their children has been on a temporary basis pending their completion of their enrollment credentials.

The waiving of the imposed surcharges on the unsettled tuition and other fees of the enrolled students who transferred from the private schools to the public learning institutions will definitely ease the burden of the parents in having to look for ways on how to settle such obligation to facilitate the speedy release of the enrollment credentials of their children for them to be permanently enrolled in the public schools. – Dexter A. See