MANILA, Philippines — Colegio de San Lorenzo has paid out refunds and processed transfers for former students who found out on the first day of classes that the Quezon City school was shutting down.
Speaking at the organizational hearing of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education on Wednesday morning, CDSL president Mary Claire Balgan admitted that the school notified the Commission on Higher Education of its plans to cease operations just three days before the start of classes on August 12.
Related Stories
But parents and students were only told on the first day of classes on August 15. In the wake of the school's announcement, the Department of Education also said it was never informed of the decision. The labor force, including faculty and employees, were also just as blindsided by the move.
She said the school had wanted to hold off on shutting operations because "that would make the school weaker and have less chances of survival. In our thinking, the best move was to try to keep the school going so there won't be any disruption."
Officials of the school’s registrar’s office said that students were informed only on the first day of school because that was “the only chance for school authorities” to make the announcement.
"Maybe it was wrong...We really thought it would let the school survive at least one more year," Balgan said.
Legal procedures in school closures
Lawyer Vixen Dorado, who represents the school's owners, said earlier that the late notice was because the school was waiting for an investment that never materialized.
Balgan said that fees have been refunded, although checks for aorund 20 students had yet to be picked up.
All professors have also received separation pay of more than what the law requires, the CSDL president said.
Commission on Higher Education Prospero "Popoy" De Vera, who formalized the school's talks with other schools to find landing spots for displaced students, said that the late disclosure should have been done at least 60 days in advance.
"There is a gray area on when they can close. But by practice, all those who had closed previously provided sufficient time and consultation with our regional office, because the regional office helps transfer the students," he said.
Asked about the quit-claim waivers the school had parents sign before refunds would be released, Balgan said these were standard legal procedure "and we yanked it out as soon as we realized the effect it had on the students and their families."
The Quezon City government flagged the quit-claim waivers and hinted at legal action over the documents.
Gaps in law on school closures
Small private schools have been dropping like flies for the past few years amid the coronavirus-induced quarantine restrictions that paralyzed their operations as educational institutions shifted to blended learning.
According to the Department of Education at a press briefing in August, some 425 private schools around the country decided to permanently close their doors during the pandemic.
This was not without consequences. The World Bank said in 2021 that around 9 in 10 Philippine children were suffering from “learning poverty," defined as 10-year-old children being unable to read and understand a simple story.
Senators on Wednesday also questioned what they said were gaps in the law, particularly rules concerning when schools are required to disclose their plans to cease operatons. CHED chair De Vera said schools are required to notify the goverment in cases when they have to close because of COVID-19 or natural disasters.
He conceded that the law — and the commission’s own memorandum orders — leaves a gray area outside of this scenario.
De Vera added that the determination of what units and classes to credit for students transferring schools is left to the jurisdiction of private educational institutions.