The Department of Education (DepEd) warned Thursday all school principals and heads to strictly adhere to the “no collection of fees” policy.

DepEd Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said that the DepEd vowed swift action against schools that collect fees from students during enrollment. “Once we receive reports that there are schools that collect fees, we will call the attention of the principal of those schools.”

During the “Oplan Balik Eskwela” (OBE) convergence meeting with partner government agencies last Monday, the DepEd reminded parents and school administrators that “no fees shall be collected from schoolchildren enrolling in preschool up to Grade 4 during the enrolment period and at any time during the school year."

This is also cited in the DepEd Order No. 65 dated May 19 signed by Education Secretary Mona Valisno which was distributed to all school superintendents and heads in all public elementary and secondary schools.

“This prohibition shall cover the authorized but voluntary contributions such as Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP), Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP), Red Cross, Anti-Tuberculosis (TB) Fund, and Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) among others,” the Order said.

The Order also stated that BSP and GSP fees should amount to P50 per student; the Anti-TB fees should amount to P5; and school publication fees should not exceed P60 for elementary students and P90 for high school students. The PTA fees will be determined by the Board of Directors and the membership in student organizations will be based on existing school policies.

In the DepEd Order, Valisno stressed that pupils should not be made to pay various fees at the start of school, lest they will be discouraged from attending classes.