Purpose and state policy declaration
- The State and society are directed to ensure that college and university education provides facilities for academic development and conditions for intelligent social participation.
- The order mandates that rapport between school authorities and students be promoted.
- Student rights are established and student responsibilities are defined to attain the objective of effective educational participation and development.
Coverage: who are “students” covered
- The rights in Section 1 apply to every person enrolling in a post-secondary academic or vocational course in a college or university authorized or recognized by the government.
- The declaration of rights in Section 2 applies to every student enrolled in a college or university authorized or recognized by the government.
- The declaration of responsibilities in Section 3 applies to every student enrolled in a college or university authorized and recognized by the government.
- The rule on campus facilities and financial support in Section 4 applies to student organizations and limits eligibility to those recognized by the administration.
- Recognition rules in Sections 4 and 5 apply to how organizations and publications may use institutional name and resources, including restrictions tied to off-campus activities.
Student rights for enrollment and admission
- Every person enrolling is entitled to the right to admission to a qualified college or university upon meeting the institution’s specific academic requirements and reasonable regulations adopted by the institution with approval of the relevant Department of Education authorities (Section 1(a)).
- Students must be given the right to be informed, before admission, of all school policies, rules and regulations governing:
- academic duties;
- co-curricular and extra-curricular activities;
- discipline; and
- specific assessments for tuition and other fees (Section 1(b)).
Declaration of student rights
- Every student has the right to due process, including the right to:
- be informed in writing; and
- be heard and to defend himself
- before a disciplinary body created by the school administration that includes at least one member designated by the duly constituted student government
- when facing any charge that may lead to suspension, expulsion, or similar disciplinary action, pursuant to school rules and regulations (Section 2(a)).
- Every student has the right to be heard on and to propose school policies (Section 2(b)).
- Every student has the right to organize a free student government that can administer, legislate, and adjudicate within its approved constitutional jurisdiction (Section 2(c)).
- Every student, through his student government participation, has the right to participate in setting up student activity fees and other student activity funds and in disbursement of such funds (Section 2(d)).
- Every student has the right to organize within the campus, under law, and to seek recognition for such organization by filing with proper school authority a written statement of purpose and description of organizational structure and procedures, including a specified minimum membership qualifications and listings (Section 2(e)).
- Recognition of a student organization may be revoked upon proof of:
- violation of the organization’s own statement of purposes and procedures, or
- violation of the rules and regulations of the institution (Section 2(e)).
- Every student organization member has the right to avail and use campus facilities as members of authorized student organizations subject to uniform regulations required for coordinated use of school rooms and conference halls or field spaces (Section 2(f)).
- Facilities must be used for the purposes contracted and for no other purpose (Section 2(f)).
- Every student has the right to use the name of the institution as a student or as a member of authorized campus organizations, subject to uniform prescribed rules regarding off-campus activities (Section 2(g)).
- Every student has the right to hear lecturers or speakers chosen upon recommendation of recognized student organizations (Section 2(h)).
- Every student has the right to publish and issue within bounds of law, good morals, and school regulations and objectives:
- regular student-controlled publications;
- free from censorship or any pressure aimed at controlling editorial policy or staff appointments (Section 2(i)).
- Publication expenses must be paid out from student funds (Section 2(i)).
- Every student has the right to free research connected with academic work, and the publication, discussion, and exchange of findings and recommendations, subject to existing laws and regulations (Section 2(j)).
- Every student has the right to competent instruction and adequate welfare services and curricular facilities commensurate to the capacity of the school (Section 2(k)).
- Every student has the right to exercise rights as a citizen in off-campus activity without impairing standing in the institution, provided the student does not claim to represent the institution (Section 2(l)).
Student responsibilities imposed on enrolled students
- Every student must recognize and comply with policies and regulations concerning:
- school duties;
- campus activities; and
- discipline within the school (Section 3(a)).
- Every student must uphold the academic integrity of the institution (Section 3(b)).
- Every student must devote himself to increasing knowledge and understanding of the world to fulfill duties to himself as a human being and to society (Section 3(c)).
- Every student must use appropriate channels within the educational community to exercise rights or to secure redress from grievances (Section 3(d)).
- Every student must fulfill duties imposed by:
- the legally constituted student government; or
- other legally constituted student officers or organizations the student has voluntarily affiliated with (Section 3(e)).
- Every student must support and cooperate with legitimate projects and activities of the student government within the framework of democratic action (Section 3(f)).
- Every student must defend and uphold the integrity of recognized student organizations in accordance with their avowed purposes, organizational structure, procedures, membership qualifications, and listings (Section 3(g)).
- When acting as an official representative of the college or university, every student must abide by written instructions of competent school authorities (Section 3(h)).
- When using the name of a duly authorized school organization or of his school without being an official representative, every student must conduct himself with dignity and deportment (Section 3(i)).
- In publications, every student must abide by the laws of the land, school regulations, and the ethics of journalism (Section 3(j)).
- Every student must allow and protect expression of divergent points of view in public meetings, seminars, conferences, and publications, in accord with the highest traditions of the academic community (Section 3(k)).
- Every student must respect the rights of fellow students, the faculty, and the school administration (Section 3(l)).
Recognition requirement for facilities and support
- Only student organizations recognized officially by the university or college administration are entitled to the grant of campus facilities and financial support that the administration authorizes or gives (Section 4(a)).
Limits tied to recognition and off-campus conduct
- Recognition may impose limitations on how organizations or publications use the name of the college or university for off-campus activities (Section 5(a)).
- Recognition may impose limitations on how organizations employ university finances or facilities to take action affecting matters off-campus (Section 5(a)).
- No disciplinary action may be taken against a student, or the student’s organization or publication, for off-campus activities carried out in the exercise of citizenship rights provided they do not:
- purport to represent the institution; or
- involve the institution without its consent (Section 5(a)).
Implementation rules by the Department of Education
- The Secretary of Education must issue the appropriate rules and regulations to implement the order.
- The implementing rules must include sanctions necessary to implement the provisions of the order (Section 6(a)).
Effective date
- The order takes effect immediately (Section 7).
- It was done in the City of Manila on February 15, 1969 (Section 7 context).