Dear PAO,
My fifth-grader son is currently studying in a public school. Last year, he studied in a private institution, but due to financial difficulties, I was forced to transfer him to a public school. We still owe money to his old school, thus, his report card therein was not issued. Fortunately, we were accepted at the new school after I executed an affidavit of undertaking, in which I promised to submit his lacking requirements. My son did well in his new school, and pursuant to the rating adopted by the school, he is qualified to receive academic honors. However, the school management informed me that my son would not be given the said award despite the fact that he reached the required grades, considering that I failed to submit his report card from his previous school. Is that possible?
Minda
Dear Minda,
Chapter V (C) of the Department of Education Order 03, Series of 2018, dated Jan. 26, 2018, otherwise known as “Basic Education Enrollment Policy,” provides:
“C. Temporary Enrollment
“Transferees from public and private schools in the Philippines who failed to submit the SF 9 (formerly Form 138) during early registration or upon enrollment shall only be temporarily enrolled until the submission of required documents on or before August 31st of the current school year. They shall be required to submit an Affidavit of Undertaking, provided as Annex 3, signed by the parent/guardian in order to be temporarily enrolled.
“For temporarily enrolled learners, the receiving school shall issue a Temporary Progress Report Card as provided in Annex 4 signed by the Class Adviser for the parents/guardians to monitor the progress of his/her child. This form is inadmissible for transfer and enrollment purposes and is only issued for progress monitoring.
“Upon complete submission of the documentary requirements, the learner shall be tagged as officially enrolled in the LIS [Learner Information System]. Otherwise, the learner retains the status of temporarily enrolled; the learner cannot be officially promoted to a higher level, and the learner cannot officially graduate from the school. The learner will not be recognized should he/she attain the qualifying average and other criteria for academic honors, and the receiving school shall not release official documents such as SF 9, SF 10, Certificate of Completion, Diploma, etc.” (Emphasis and underscoring supplied).
Pursuant to the aforementioned rule issued by the Department of Education, and considering that your child is a transferee from another school who still has lacking requirements, particularly his report card (SF9) from his old school, his enrollment status in the new school that accepted him is considered merely temporary. By virtue of the affidavit of undertaking which you voluntarily executed, you assumed the responsibility of providing the missing requirements to his new school, so that his enrollment status could finally be completed.
Pending the submission of your son’s report card (SF9) from his old school, his enrollment status shall remain temporary. It is likewise clearly stated in the aforesaid rule that a student whose enrollment status is temporary will not be recognized for academic honors, even if such student meets the qualifying average or the school’s criteria to be awarded academic honors.
We hope that we were able to answer your queries. This advice is based solely on the facts you have narrated and our appreciation of the same. Our opinion may vary when other facts are changed or elaborated on.
Editor’s note: Dear PAO is a daily column of the Public Attorney’s Office. Questions for Chief Acosta may be sent to dearpao@manilatimes.net
