The document discusses Republic Act No. 6655, also known as the Free Public Secondary Education Act of 1988. Some key points: - It establishes free provision of secondary education by the State and aims to promote quality education at all levels. - It mandates that students in public secondary schools shall be free from payment of tuition and other school fees, with some exceptions. - It tasks the Department of Education to formulate curriculum to upgrade secondary education quality and include vocational courses. - It nationalizes public secondary schools and vests their administration to the Department of Education.

1. R.A. No. 6655, AN ACT
ESTABLISHING AND PROVIDING FOR
A FREE PUBLIC SECONDARY
EDUCATION AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
CAMBALIZA, JOSEPHINE JERIC
TORRES, SHARENZ RISNNY

2. The Public Secondary Education
Act (Republic Act No. 6655)
 Establishes the free provision of secondary education
 It is the policy of the State to provide for a free public secondary
education to all qualified citizens and to promote quality education
at all levels
 “The students enrolled in secondary course offerings in 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, including city,
provincial, municipal and barangay [village] high schools, and
those public high schools which may be established by law, shall be
free from payment of tuition and other school fees.”

3. o 2 February 1987. New Constitution for the Philippines was ratified.
Section 3, Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution contains the ten
fundamental aims of education in the Philippines.
o 1987. By the vue of Executive Order No. 117, the Ministry of
Education, Culture and Sports, became the Department of
Education, Culture and Sports . The structure of DECS as embodied
in EO No. 117 remained practically unchanged until 1994.
o 26 May 1988. Congress enacted Republic Act 6655, the Free Public
Secondary Education Act of 1988, which mandated free public
secondary education commencing in the school year 1988-1989.
o 26 May 1988. Congress enacted RA 6655 which made free public
secondary education to become a reality.
o Approved by President Corazon C. Aquino

4. Section 1. Title.
This Act shall be known as the "Free Public Secondary Education Act of
1988."

5. Section 2. Declaration of Policy.
It is the policy of the State to provide for a free public secondary
education to all qualified citizens and to promote quality education at
all levels.

6. Section 3. Definitions.
(a) Free Public Secondary Education. — Means that the students
enrolled in secondary course offerings in national high schools, general
comprehensive high schools, trade, technical, vocational, fishery and
agricultural schools, and in schools established, administered,
maintained and funded by local government units, including city,
provincial municipal and barangay high schools, and those public
high schools which may be established by law, shall be free from
payment of tuition and other schools fees;

7. (b) Tuition Fee. — Refers to the fee representing direct costs of
instruction, training and other related activities and for the students'
use of the instruction and training facilities;
(c) Other School Fees. — Refer to those fees which cover the other
necessary costs supportive of instruction, including but not limited to
medical and dental, athletic, library, laboratory and Citizens Army
Training (CAT) fees.
However, fees elated to membership in the school community such as
identification cards, student organizations and publications may be
collected, provided that non-payment to these fees shall not in any
case be a bar to the enrollment or graduation of any student.

8. Section 4. Implementation of Free
Public Secondary Education.
The system of free public secondary education as provided in this Act
shall commence in School Year 1988-1989, and that the students
enrolled in secondary course offerings in national and general
comprehensive high schools, state colleges and universities,
specialized schools, trade, technical, vocational, fishery and
agricultural schools and in schools which may be established by law,
shall be free from payment of tuition and other school fees, except
fees related to membership in the school community such as
identification cards, student organizations and publication which may
be collected: Provided, That nothing in this Act shall cause or authorize
the reduction or removal of any benefit which the national or local
government may have granted to the students, teachers and other
school personnel of these public high schools prior to the enactment
of this Act.

9. Decs Order No. 49 S. 1988
Clarificatory Guidelines on Free Public Secondary Education, Particularly
in Fees as provided Republic Act 6655
Free Authorized but Voluntary Fees

10. What is Free?
 Tuition Fee
 Other School Fees

11. What are Voluntary Fees?
Fees related to the school community such as:
Identification card
Membership fee
School publication
Subscription

12. Fees covered by president proclamation or executive orders, authority
fund and educational campaign
Red cross
Boy scout
Girl scouts
Anti-TB

13. PTCA Contributions
 The amount of the contribution for a school year is purely voluntary
and decided by the PCTA.
 Are not collected during the enrollment period but during the fund
campaign by the PTCA itself.
 Maybe paid on installment basis.
 Shall be collected of the PTCA treasurer and/or the designated
parent representative who shall make arrangements with the
school principal on the schedule and manner of collection.

14. Section 5. Formulation of a
Secondary Education Curriculum.
The Department of Education, Culture and Sports shall formulate a
secondary education curriculum in order to upgrade its quality,
efficiency and access. In addition to providing the high school
students with general skills, knowledge and values, such a curriculum
must include vocational and technical courses that will give the
students gainful employment.

15. DECS Order No. 44 S. 1988
1) Cognitive, affective, manipulative based, i-e. humanities, science
and technology shall form the cognitive dimension; moral, spiritual,
social, political, aesthetics and work values, the affective
dimension; and work skills and psychomotor dimension.
2) Consists of core subjects
3) Includes the study of constitution
4) Adheres to the bilingual policy

16. Section 6. Limitation.
The right of any student to avail of free public high school shall
terminate if he fails for two (2) consecutive school years in the majority
of the academic subjects in which he is enrolled during the course of
his study unless such failure is due to some valid cause.

17. 1. Failure in (1) 180 minutes and one (1) 300 minutes a week yearly
subject or three (3) 180 minutes or two (2) 300 minutes a week
yearly subjects means failure in that curricular year.
2. Due to some valid cause means that the circumstances foe such
failures may be attributed to the reasons beyond students’ control
such as illness, family, instability or environmental disturbances.
DECS Order No. 44 S. 1988

18. Section 7. Nationalization of Public
Secondary Schools.
To effectively implement the system, the establishment, renaming,
conversion, integration, separation, administration, supervision and
control of all public secondary schools and public secondary school
teachers and other school personnel, including the payment of their
salaries allowances and other fringe benefits as well as those
already provided by local governments are hereby vested in the
Department of Education, Culture and Sports.

19. Section 8. Priority in Admission.
Graduates of public elementary schools in a municipality shall be
given priority in admission when the present facilities in the same
municipality cannot accommodate all of those applying for
enrollment in the public high schools.

20. No. 6 Enrollment period shall be from June 1-15
a.First year enrollees should be admitted on a first-come first serve basis
giving priority to the graduates of public elementary schools who are
residents of the local community until the maximum capacity for the
first year students has been reached as determined by the school
principal.
b.The public school will continue to enroll seeking admission within the
prescribed enrollment period. However, some of those who cannot be
accommodated may be shifted to the cooperating private schools
under the education service.
c.Students who cannot be accommodated shall be placed in a
waiting list.
DECS Order No. 44 S. 1988

21. Section 9. Implementing Rules and
Regulations.
The Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports shall issue the
necessary rules and regulations to implement this Act.

22. Benefits:
 Education is therefore not a privilege, but a right.
 Secondary education will be accessible to all since it will be free of
charge (except for the fees mentioned above.)
 Through this, there will be a probability that the country will produce
more manpower.

23. CASE STUDY
(RA 6655)

24. CASE 1
CAGAYAN de ORO CITY, Southern Philippines – With
school now open, thirty teachers from the Misamis Oriental
General Comprehensive High School are finding themselves
in hot water over an incident left over from the last
graduation.
The Office of the Ombudsman-Mindanao has
directed the teachers, all class advisers, to answer a
criminal complaint that they allegedly exacted quite a sum
in unauthorized fees from the graduating students of the
last school year.

25. School head Pedro Montejo collected P330 per graduating student as
their contribution to a graduation ball which was organized without the
approval of the PTCA.
“Almost 1,030 students paid in full this alleged illegal collection for
graduation and (the collection) totaled to P340,000 more or less,” he
said in a written statement sent via mobile phone.
Based on the order, the PTCA “may solicit minimal voluntary
contributions from their members for graduation ceremonies and
celebrations”, but teachers and principals “should not be involved in
said contributions.”
Padua however stressed that not only were the principal and teachers
involved in the exaction of fees, the activity itself was not coordinated
with the PTCA and no proper report was made to the association’s
assembly on the collection, another requirement of Order 13.

26. Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez placed on preventive suspension high
school principals Eleanor Abisado of Taguig National High School, Helen
Aggabao of Olongapo City National High School.
Abisado allegedly pocketed unauthorized fees from students. She also
allegedly certified that a senior bookkeeper and two utility personnel at the
Taguig school were members of the teaching staff so they could collect
benefits that are exclusively for teachers.
Aggabao, on the other hand, is charged with collecting unauthorized school
fees and contributions, as well as rental fees from stall owners in the school
canteen, without issuing official receipts. She also allegedly charged students
15 pesos an hour for computers that were donated by a congressman to the
school.
CASE 2