Parents asked to check out schools’ credentials

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Education has directed local education officials to remind parents and students, as the start of the new school year approached,  to be wary of fly-by-night private schools and to enroll only in accredited institutions.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro directed all DepEd regional and division offices to post in public places lists of accredited private schools within their areas.

He instructed local education officials to also submit this list to the DepEd Office for Regional Operations.

“The regional and division officials are advised to encourage parents to check whether private schools where they intend to enroll their children are duly permitted, recognized or accredited by the Department of Education,” Luistro said in an order addressed to DepEd officials and heads of private schools.

“The list of private schools with permit to operate, recognition or accreditation should be posted at the regional offices and division offices, municipal halls and other conspicuous places,” he said.

According to DepEd data, some three million students are enrolled in nearly 13,000 private schools nationwide: 7,268 elementary schools and 5,682 high schools.

Luistro said students who came from unaccredited schools are required to take validating tests at DepEd before they are allowed to move to another school.

“Students who finished an alleged grade/year level in a school without the required permit are advised to take the Philippine Validating Test prior to admission to another school in order to validate the acquired learning gains,” Luistro  said in his memo.

While private schools are outside DepEd’s administrative control, they still need to pass the government’s accreditation process and must seek the department’s approval before raising tuition.