PROHIBITING THE COLLECTION OF CONTRIBUTIONS FROM STUDENTS OF PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

1.  This Office has received complaints from parents and students regarding the collection of contributions including those that are voluntary but authorized by law and this Office.  In spite of the orders issued by this Office that such collections are not requirements for enrolment, many school officials and teachers still require students to pay such contributions at the enrolment period.  This is a violation of the concept of free elementary education.

2.  Henceforth, no contributions whatsoever will be collected from the public elementary students during the enrolment period.

3.  Authorized contributions, including membership fees to Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of the Philippines, the National Red Cross, and Anti-TB educational and fund campaign, shall be solicited on a voluntary basis not during the period of enrolment but only during their respective campaign period as follows:

Nature/Kind of Contribution	Period of Fund Campaign	Amount of Contribution/Fee
a. Membership fee to the Boy Scouts of the Philippines	June-September	P15.00 each member
b. Membership fee to the Girl Scouts of the Philippines	January-December	P15.00 each member
c. Philippine National Red Cross	January-December	P0.50/ student or P20.00/class of 40
d. Anti-TB Educational and Fund Campaign	January-December	P1.00/ student

4.  Membership fee to the PTA/PTCA shall be fixed at not more than twenty pesos (P20.00) per parent-member.  Likewise, the PTA/PTCA membership fee and all other contributions shall be collected not earlier than three (3) months after the enrolment period.

5.  Attention is invited to the following issuances of this Office which should be strictly followed:

1. DECS Order No. 5, s. 1992 — Policy on Solicitation of Contributions
2. DECS Order No. 123, s. 1990 — Prohibiting Contributions to Athletic Meets and Other Similar Activities
3. DECS Memorandum No. 178, s. 1988 — Primer on Free Public Elementary Education

6.  Regional directors, schools superintendents, school principals, and teachers are directed to strictly implement this Order and those enumerated in paragraph 5.  Monitoring by the regional directors and schools superintendents of all schools in their areas is required to check the implementation of this Order.  Any violation shall be dealt with administratively.

7.  For immediate dissemination and compliance.

Adopted: 5 Aug. 1993

(Sgd.) ARMAND V. FABELLA
Secretary