Senate bill seeks to ban withholding of Philippine students' records over unpaid fees

A Senate measure seeks to prohibit schools from withholding students' official records due to unpaid tuition and other school fees.

Senate Bill 1964, also known as the “Right to Student Records Act,” was filed by Senator Risa Hontiveros.

The bill seeks to prohibit educational institutions from unreasonably delaying or refusing the release of school records to students or former students who are verified to be financially incapacitated.

Hontiveros underscored that financial hardship remains a significant barrier, as many families continue to struggle with poverty and economic instability.

She also highlighted concerns regarding schools withholding student records without valid justification, which has prevented students from transferring to other institutions.

"This measure empowers parents, guardians, students, and former students to file written complaints before the appropriate educational authorities and institutionalizes the authority of the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to investigate violations, impose administrative penalties, and monitor the compliance of educational institutions to ensure the Act is fully implemented," she said in her explanatory note.

Hontiveros clarified that the proposed law would not prevent schools from collecting unpaid dues through legal and reasonable means.

Hontiveros noted that the legislation would not prevent schools from collecting unpaid dues through legal and reasonable means.

She explained that the bill would also support institutions through the creation of a Student Records Assistance Mechanism, designed to help students settle outstanding balances.

"Equally important is ensuring that private educational institutions are paid these outstanding balances in order to sustain their operations. This bill establishes a Student Records Assistance Mechanism to support the full costs of outstanding financial balances of financially-incapacitated students and former students in educational institutions," Hontiveros explained.

Under the current proposal, assistance will cover only verified unpaid tuition and other authorized school fees required for the release of official records.

Beneficiaries may avail of this support once, and funds will be remitted directly to the concerned school.

For higher education, the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) will implement the program in coordination with CHED and TESDA. For basic education, DepEd will administer it through its Government Assistance and Subsidies Office.

-Paraluman News