March 27-28 graduation set for public schools

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education (DepEd) has set the schedule of graduation for all public elementary and high schools in the country on March 27 and 28.

A DepEd official said the agency would announce a different schedule of graduation rites for areas devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda last year.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro urged public schools to keep graduation ceremonies simple.

He also reiterated DepEd’s “No Collection” policy on graduation fees. He reminded that there should be no forced collection of graduation fees among graduating students nationwide.

The collection of graduation fee should not be a hindrance for students who cannot afford to pay their fees during graduation rites, Luistro noted.

The DepEd also said it continues to assist Yolanda-affected schools in retrieving crucial records of students, especially those who are graduating next month.

DepEd Assistant Secretary Rey Laguda said the agency is also looking at issuing certification to students, whose records could no longer be recovered.

At least 7,300 students, or about 10 percent of the 78,000 public elementary and high school students in Yolanda-hit areas, lost their school records.

“Records that have been partially damaged were digitally captured and sent to division offices. Those that were lost or totally destroyed are being reconstructed using other available documents,” said DepEd Director for Technical Services Rogelio Morales.

In the four divisions of Tacloban City, Eastern Samar, Ormoc City and Leyte alone, records of 78,000 students in elementary and high school have been affected, he said.

In these areas, around 41,627 were deemed intact, 9,669 had partial damage, and 7,297 were lost or totally destroyed. The students’ permanent school records contained in Form 137 was identified as a priority, he added.