Free Secondary Education Act 1988

Section 2 establishes the State policy to provide free public secondary education to all qualified citizens.
Section 2 requires the State to promote quality education at all levels.

“Free Public Secondary Education” means that students enrolled in secondary course offerings are free from payment of tuition and other school fees.
Secondary course offerings include: national high schools, general comprehensive high schools, state colleges and universities, specialized schools, trade, technical, vocational, fishery and agricultural schools, and schools established, administered, maintained and funded by local government units.
Local government schools covered include city, provincial, municipal, and barangay high schools, and public high schools which may be established by law.
“Tuition Fee” refers to the fee representing direct costs of instruction, training and other related activities and for students’ use of instruction and training facilities.
“Other School Fees” cover other necessary supportive costs of instruction, including medical and dental, athletic, library, laboratory, and Citizens Army Training (CAT) fees.
Fees related to membership in the school community (such as identification cards, student organizations, and publications) may be collected.
Nonpayment of membership-related fees shall not, in any case, bar a student from enrollment or graduation.

Section 4 provides that the free public secondary education system commences in School Year 1988-1989.
Students in covered secondary course offerings in national high schools, general comprehensive high schools, state colleges and universities, specialized schools, trade/technical/vocational schools, fishery and agricultural schools, and covered LGU-funded schools are free from payment of tuition and other school fees.
Section 4 allows collection of fees related to membership in the school community (such as identification cards, student organizations, and publications).
Section 4 prohibits the Act from authorizing reduction or removal of any benefit that the national or local government granted to students, teachers, and other school personnel of these public high schools prior to enactment.
Section 4 limits the free coverage by allowing tuition and “other school fees” to be free, while permitting membership-related fees to be collected.

Section 5 directs the Department of Education, Culture and Sports to formulate a secondary education curriculum.
Section 5 requires the curriculum to upgrade the system’s quality, efficiency, and access.
Section 5 requires the curriculum to give high school students general skills, knowledge and values.
Section 5 requires the curriculum to include vocational and technical courses that will give students gainful employment.

Section 6 provides that a student’s right to avail of free public high school terminates upon failure for two (2) consecutive school years.
Section 6 specifies the failure standard as failure in the majority of the academic subjects in which the student is enrolled during the course of study.
Section 6 provides an exception: termination does not apply if the failure is due to a valid cause.

Section 7 vests in the Department of Education, Culture and Sports the establishment, renaming, conversion, integration, separation, administration, supervision, and control of all public secondary schools and public secondary school teachers and other school personnel.
Section 7 vests in the Department of Education, Culture and Sports the payment of salaries, allowances, and other fringe benefits of public secondary school personnel.
Section 7 expressly includes those already provided by local governments.

Section 8 requires that graduates of public elementary schools in a municipality be given priority in admission to public high schools.
Section 8 limits the priority rule to circumstances where present facilities in the same municipality cannot accommodate all applicants.

Section 9 requires the Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports to issue the necessary rules and regulations to implement the Act.
Section 10 authorizes the President to realign or transfer any item of appropriation within the Department of Education, Culture and Sports.
Section 10 authorizes the President to utilize any savings within the Department to carry out the purposes of the Act.
Section 10 requires that whatever additional amount needed for implementation be included in the General Appropriations Acts for the ensuing fiscal years.

Section 11 provides that all laws or parts thereof inconsistent with Republic Act No. 6655 are deemed repealed or modified, depending on circumstances.