Institution of Remedial Secondary School Courses

December 10, 1985

LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS NO. 1490

DIRECTING THE INSTITUTION OF REMEDIAL SECONDARY SCHOOL COURSES

WHEREAS, the Philippine secondary school system is a complex structure of numerous types of diversely funded schools which have correspondingly different capabilities to provide good training to their students;

WHEREAS, a good quality secondary education is a necessary preparation for entry to and success in both a tertiary level education or the world of work;

WHEREAS, the impact of development efforts in secondary education which are now underway will be felt in many of the smaller high schools only after several years;

WHEREAS, it is urgent that students throughout the country be given a reasonable opportunity to obtain a good secondary education, even while the improvement efforts are still in progress;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by Law, do hereby Order and Instruct:

1. The MECS shall organize remedial courses at the post-secondary level, intended for high school graduates wishing to feel a need for catching up and thus competing on even footing with graduates of the better high schools; aisa dc

2. The classes shall be offered by the high standard secondary schools that have the staff and facilities to offer such post secondary courses. The Bureau of Secondary Education shall identify, in coordination with MECS Regional Offices and the National Education Testing Center, the secondary schools which may offer such post secondary courses. Preference shall be given to national high schools and the larger provincial high schools, aiming at one school per province or city.

3. The classes may be for a summer to one year and for more than one subject, depending on the needs of the high school graduates seeking entry to the courses. Priority shall be given to remedial courses in the communication arts, mathematics and science. Specific needs, however, shall be determined through guidance counseling and/or the results of such entrance examination as may be necessary in order to determine the achievement level of a student;

4. Schools may charge such student fees as may be necessary to cover the costs of the courses that they offer. The fees shall be recorded as Trust Receipts and disbursed for personal services costs (including honoraria or compensation of teachers handling the courses and of administrators and support personnel who renders service directly for the program) and maintenance and operating costs incurred. Such additional textbooks, material and equipment as may have to be acquired by the school for the program may also be charged to the said Receipts. It is understood that these transactions shall be subject to pertinent accounting and auditing rules and regulations;

5. Classes may be opened for students numbering not less than thirty (30) nor more than forty (40); cd

6. Initial classes may be offered beginning the Summer of 1986;

7. The Minister of the Budget shall study and recommend to the President on the possibility of national government assistance to schools offering the courses described in this Letter in order to keep to a minimum the student fees collected from enrolling students;

8. The special courses may be offered until such time as the development of the school system shall have enabled the schools in a given region to provide comparable quality of secondary education;

9. Rules and regulations to implement this Letter shall be issued by the MECS (through the Bureaus of Secondary Education, of Vocational and Technical Education and of Continuing Education) in coordination with the Office of Budget and Management.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 10th day of December, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five. aisa dc