Kabataan Party-list Representative Raymond “Mong” Palatino today filed House Bill 6799, which seeks to penalize colleges and universities imposing a ‘no permit, no exam’ policy and other regulations prohibiting students from taking their periodic or final examinations due to unpaid tuition and other fees.

“The [no-permit, no exam policy] effectively bars unpaid students from graduating or obtaining an academic degree, regardless of how hard they have worked for it or how much they academically deserve it. Students with delinquent fees have the right to take an examination. ” Palatino said in the bill’s explanatory note.

According to the bill, offending tertiary schools shall be punished by suspension or cancellation of their permits and a fine of P30,000 to P50,000.

Palatino said, “The government should ensure that the youth’s right to education is not compromised due to financial difficulties. Dapat lamang na parusahan ng gobyerno ang mga kolehiyo at unibersidad na itinuturing ang edukasyon bilang isang negosyo. Educational institutions should not act as capitalist-educators especially in light of the economic crisis.”

Palatino said a regulation such as the “no permit, no exam” policy contributes to the already dire situation of decreasing access to education under the Arroyo regime. “Maraming estudyante ang hindi nakapagpapatuloy ng kanilang pag-aaral dahil hinahayaan ng gobyerno ang mga kolehiyo na mag-impose ng ganitong mapagsamantalang regulasyon,” he said.

Palatino said participation rates in tertiary education has declined under the Arroyo administration. Out of 100 Grade 1 pupils, only two-thirds will finish Grade 6; out of this, only 58 will go on to high school, only 43 will actually finish high school, and only 14 will finish college with a degree.

Download full text of bill.