All laws must conform to the might and majesty of the Constitution. Accordingly, a law must be struck down if it profoundly violates the Fundamental law of the land, regardless of how noble its intention may appear. The House of Representatives, as the elected voice of the sovereign Filipino, has expressed its concern over some schools’ policy of prohibiting students who fail to present the necessary permit in order to take major examinations. Thus, House Bill 4791 which endeavours to penalize any professor or school that shall deprive the students in taking examination was approved by the House on its second reading.
No less than the Constitution, under Article XIV Section 1 provides that “The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such decision accessible to all”. In other words, it is the mandate of the law-making body to legislate laws that seeks to secure to the Filipino people an uncompromised education for all. While private institutions air their dispassionate resistance over the HB 4791, it must be remembered that it is the power of the state to exercise reasonable supervision and regulation of all educational institutions.
An argument that the bill is built to slowly cut the life of private institutions, as tuition fees constitutes the source of their operation, does not hold any value, since only a fraction of the students fall short of carrying their obligation. It must be remembered that education is made not for the purpose of profit but for the youth, who shall build this nation into a better society. While it may be true that education is only a matter of right in elementary and secondary level and becomes a privilege in tertiary, it is still unreasonable and irrational to deprive our children with this privilege.
No comments:
Post a Comment