Question & AnswerQ&A (DECS ORDER NO. 99, S. 1998)
The purpose of increasing the public high school publication fee from twenty-five pesos (P25.00) to fifty pesos (P50.00) is to reflect the increased cost of publication and other related expenses.
DECS Order No. 99, s. 1998 modifies No. 2 letter e of DECS Order No. 27, s. 1995 concerning the collection of school publication fees.
No, the collection of the increased publication fee is authorized only if made on a voluntary basis and must not be a requirement for admission or for clearance upon transfer.
Starting from the school year 1999-2000, public elementary schools are authorized to collect a school publication fee of forty pesos (P40.00).
Public elementary schools participate in the yearly National Schools Press Conference (NSPC) beginning 1995, which justifies the collection of the publication fee to support related costs.
The school publication fund should be considered as a trust fund, separated from other school fees, and its disbursement should be devoted solely to printing the school paper and related publication expenses, subject to usual accounting and auditing rules.
Any savings or balance from the school publication fund must be kept intact and should not be made part of the general fund of the school.
No, the collection of the increased publication fee must not be a requirement for admission or for clearance purposes in case of transfer.
The authorized amount for the school publication fee for public high schools is fifty pesos (P50.00).
The order was signed by Andrew Gonzalez, FSC, Secretary of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS).