Private schools face additional expenses as education sector adapts to new normal —COCOPEA exec

Private schools in the country are faced with additional burden of procuring necessary equipment and providing training to personnel as they comply with the requirements of the Department of Education (DepEd) under the new normal, a Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines (COCOPEA) official said Friday.

"Nag-introduce kasi ng bagong expenses ang Department of Education at ito ay mandatory. Kung ikaw ay mago-online, dapat talagang nag-subscribe ka sa learner management systems, kailangan lahat ng teacher mo may laptops, gadgets, kailangan mayroon kang Help Desk 24/7, kailangan trained lahat," COCOPEA managing director lawyer Joseph Noel Estrada said in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV.

"Mahaba po 'yung listahan, ipinalabas nila noong June 24. So sabi nga namin, saan nila ine-expect kunin ng schools 'yan kung 'yan ay mandatory? Hindi ba nila alam na natural ipapasa 'yan sa mga magulang kung walang kaukulang budget na tulong galing sa gobyerno?" he added.

Estrada stressed there is a disconnect between the said policy and the recent call of the DepEd for private schools to defer increases on tuition and other school fees.

"'Yung apela na 'yun ay… hindi ko alam kung saan nanggagaling ang apela na 'yun. Hindi ba nila nalalaman ang sitwasyon ng mga paaralan ngayon? Hindi naman kami shielded from any economic downturn," he said.

The DepEd on Thursday said it recognizes the "need to ensure the sustainability of private educational institutions" but urged them to defer hikes in tuition and other fees "as is practicable."

"The Department shall endeavor to make any application of private schools of tuition increases transparent and reasonable," it said in a statement.

It added that a consultation meeting will be held next week to address the concerns of private schools over the DepEd order that provides a checklist for learning delivery modalities in the Learning Continuity Plan.—AOL, GMA News