THE SENATE has ratified the reconciled version of the proposed ‘No Permit, No Exam Prohibition Act’ as approved by the Bicameral Conference Committee.

The proposal was put forward by Senator Francis Escudero, chairman of the Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education in the upper chamber.

In seeking the ratification, Escudero assured his colleagues that the bicameral conference committee has the full support of the representatives from the education sector led by the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations.

Consolidated during the bicameral conference committee meeting last Monday were Senate Bill 1359 and House Bills 6483 and 7584, all of which propose to ban the no permit, no exam rule.

“The reconciled ‘No Permit, No Exam Prohibition Act,’ is one of the greatest legacies that we can leave behind. Finally, we can get rid of this long-time practice,” the senator said following the ratification.

“As I mentioned earlier, forcing a student to forfeit an exam is the cruelest of fines. It can set off a series of events that can be life-changing for the student, and not in a good way. It can lead to shattered dreams and lost opportunities, not just the loss of a diploma,” he added.

Aside from the “no permit, no exam” rule, the measure prohibits the imposition of any policy that prevents students enrolled in public or private schools from taking examinations or any form of educational assessment for reasons of outstanding financial or property obligations such as unpaid tuition and other school fees.

Escudero, however, said that the legislation does not mandate tuition forgiveness as it does not erase a student’s debt to schools. It only calls for the deferment of its payment while the student is allowed to take the examination.