ROCO STOPS DONATIONS
By Yofe Masangcay
Public schools have been ordered to stop collecting "contributions" from students enrolling this year.In the recent management meeting of education officials, Education Secretary Raul Roco repealed a department policy that allowed annual collections of P120 to P200 per student in the public school.The Department of Education Culture and Sports had authorized institutions like Boy Scouts and the Red Cross to collect contributions from the public school students.The DECS also allowed school officials to collect miscellaneous fees such as for identification cards, school publications, school organizations and medical reason like the fight againts tuberculosis.Roco said he repealed the collection policy in answer to complaints of parents already burdened by the high cost of living.He said he would set a day for each soliciting institution to visit the public schools to ask for "voluntary contributions".