BAGUIO CITY – The local legislative body approved a resolution requesting the private universities and colleges in the city to study the possibility of refunding reasonable school fees that were unused by the enrolled students due to the implementation of the Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine due to the fight against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a form of school assistance to them following the undue disruption of classes.
The resolution authored by all members of the local legislative body stated that the possibility of refunding the whole or portion of some school fees that were paid by the enrolled students will definitely help the families and stranded students to cope up with the ongoing Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine for them to be able to buy food, medicine and allow them to settle their bills among other payables during these trying times.
The resolution stipulated that with the suspension of classes, the students are not able to physically use school facilities and avail of existing school services which means that they are unable to benefit from their paid school fees such as laboratory fees, library fees and miscellaneous fees.
Earlier, the second semester or even trimester of schoolyear 2019-2020 commenced last January but classes were abruptly suspended pursuant to existing national and local issuances that suspended classes in all levels for both private and public schools from 13 March 2020 to 20 March 2020.
Further, the suspension of classes in all levels for private and public schools and other institutions of learning was again extended until 14 April 2020 pursuant to similar local issuances.
On April 8, 2020, Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong issued Executive Order No. 78, series of 2020 that suspended the classes for all levels in public and private schools as well as other institutions and centers of learning in the city for a period until 31 May 2020 subject to further guidelines and directives that may be released by the inter-agency task force on the management of emerging and re-emerging infectious disease or upon assessment of the COVID-19 local task force.
The resolution emphasized that at the onset of the prevailing semester, the students and their parents or guardians have already partially or fully paid their tuition fees, miscellaneous fees and other schools fees covering the entire semester with the expectation that all paid services will be fully assessed and used by the students to aid them in their studies.
Moreover, the resolution noted that most of the students have either went home to their provinces or have been stranded in their boarding houses and apartments in the city and that they need whatever available assistance that are readily available for them to be able to survive the prevailing crisis while awaiting for their allowances from their parents and guardians.
The approved resolution will be transmitted by the local government to the different universities and colleges in the city for their administrations to look into the viability of the proposal while awaiting whatever action that will be undertaken for the said purpose considering that people nowadays are in dire need of assistance from those who are willing to help others.
By Dexter A. See