REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6054 - AN
ACT TO INSTITUTE A CHARTER FOR BARRIO HIGH SCHOOLS
WHEREAS, by
Constitutional mandate, the Government is committed to the
establishment and maintenance of a complete and adequate system of
public education;
WHEREAS, the Philippine Government has established an educational
system consisting of the elementary, secondary, and collegiate courses
pursuant to the Constitution;
WHEREAS, of the three levels, the secondary is and has always been the
bottleneck and the weakest link of the school system, considering that
only one out of five high school youth is in school;
WHEREAS, of the three levels of instruction, the support of the high
school has been entrusted to local government and/or to the people;
WHEREAS, the average attainment of our people is the fifth grade, which
is less than the requirements of literacy;
WHEREAS, the fluctuating and varying capacity of the local governments
to finance the operation of the public high schools has resulted in the
weakening of this important link between the local and upper rungs of
the school system;
WHEREAS, the unstable source of funds for the public high schools
cannot cope with the increasing demands for high education;
WHEREAS, the minimum requirements for employment in the lowest
available job is graduation from high school;
WHEREAS, there are about five million Filipino youths of high school
age who should be given every opportunity to continue their studies and
thereby raise the average national educational level beyond Grade VI;
WHEREAS, the two major causes of school drop-outs as revealed by
official surveys are financial reason and distance of students from
schools;
WHEREAS, the establishment of a high school close to the homes of
students will solve, at least partly, the problem of distance and
consequently, the problem of economy;
WHEREAS, a few barrio high school have been established on experimental
basis, and in the light of their successful beginning over one thousand
of them have followed suit in the different parts of the country; and
WHEREAS, there is a direct relation between the level of education of
the people and the level of their socio-economic status;
Now, therefore,
SECTION 1. Declaration of Policy. — It is hereby
declared to be the policy of this Act to make possible equal
opportunities for high school education for all the children of all the
people of the Philippines regardless of the place of birth or of the
economic condition of their parents, thus enabling all the people to
achieve high school education.
Sec. 2. Title of the Act. — The Act shall be known
and referred to as the "Barrio High School Charter."
Sec. 3. Definition. — The term "Barrio High
School" shall apply to high schools established in the barrios of the
Philippines except those opened and maintained by the Bureau of Public
Schools, the Bureau of Vocational Education, the private high schools
under the Bureau of Private Schools and laboratory high schools of
State Universities and Colleges, offering the standard secondary
courses prescribed by the Department of Education in cities and
municipalities and are organized, maintained and supervised in
accordance with the provisions of this Act.
Sec. 4. Requirement for Organization. — Pursuant
to the policy of this Act, barrio high schools may be organized in the
barrio at the instance of the barrio council whenever at least forty
students in the barrio are available to constitute a class.
Sec. 5. Initiative of the Council. — It shall be
the duty of the Barrio Council to initiate the organization of the
barrio high school whenever at least forty students eligible for high
school whose parents have signed a petition in writing for the
establishment of a barrio high school are available. Said petition
shall be submitted by the Council together with its resolution of
approval to the Superintendent of schools, and the latter shall
recommend the opening of the barrio high school when the same is urgent
and will serve public interest in the barrio concerned. Two or more
barrios may establish a barrio high school and the expenses for the
establishment, operation and maintenance thereof shall be borne
proportionately by the barrios concerned.
Sec. 6. Administration and Supervision. — The
Secretary of Education through the Director of Public Schools shall
have the power to authorize the opening of barrio high schools and the
closing of any which he may find operating in violation of any
provision of this Act or any rule or regulation promulgated by
authority of this Act: provided, that the Superintendent of Schools
shall have the power of administration and supervision over all barrio
high schools within the jurisdiction of his division. He shall place
the direct administration and supervision of each barrio high school
with the principal of the complete public high school nearest to the
particular barrio high school: provided, however, that the barrio
councils shall assume responsibility for the administration of funds
for the operation of barrio high schools in their respective
jurisdiction, including the safekeeping as trust funds of all incomes
derived from school and other sources and of the proper disbursement
thereof pursuant to a budget duly approved by them in accordance with
rules as prescribed therefore, subject to the usual accounting and
auditing regulations.
All funds for the establishment, operation and maintenance of barrio
high schools shall be deposited with the municipal treasurer by the
barrio treasurer, who shall be bonded in an amount to be fixed by the
barrio council: provided, that in the case of a barrio high school
established and operated by two or more barrios, the manner of deposit
and disbursement of the funds therefore shall be fixed and determined
by the Auditor General or his duly authorized representatives.
Sec. 7. The barrios shall be answerable for all
claims arising from the operation of the barrio high schools in their
respective jurisdiction: provided, that in the case of a barrio high
school established and operated by two or more barrios, the liability
shall be joint and several.
Sec. 8. Financing. — The barrio high school shall
be supported primarily by the tuition fees paid by students which
amount shall not be higher than what is paid in the provincial high
school and secondarily from the following sources, among others:
(a) Aside from any amount which the Barrio Council
may appropriate out of the ten per centum of real estate tax accruing
to the Barrio General Fund under Section twenty-three of Republic Act
Numbered Three thousand five hundred ninety an amount equivalent to
five per cent (5%) of the said real estate tax collected within the
barrio to be deducted in equal amount from the share of the province
and of the municipality shall be allotted to the corresponding barrio
should such barrio have a barrio high school or should it decide to
establish one. The said amount shall be appropriated by the Barrio
Council exclusively for the improvement of instruction in its barrio
high schools, such as the purchase of high schools textbooks. For this
purpose, Commonwealth Act Numbered Three thousand five hundred seventy
and Republic Act Numbered Three thousand five hundred ninety are hereby
amended accordingly;
(b) The five million pesos or so much thereof
appropriated by Republic Act Numbered Five thousand four hundred
forty-seven as aid to barrio high schools is hereby constituted as a
special trust fund to be administered by the Secretary of Education,
the proceeds of which shall be used exclusively as national
contribution to barrio high schools. For this purpose, Republic Act
Numbered Five thousand four hundred forty-seven is hereby amended
accordingly.
Sec. 9. Teachers and Staff. — In appointing
teachers, the Superintendent of Schools shall see to it that teachers
for barrio high schools shall have the same qualifications required of
teachers in any provincial, city or municipal high school and that
there shall be at least one full-time qualified teacher in the staff:
provided, that qualified teachers of the barrio elementary school that
houses the barrio high school and other qualified teachers, with the
approval of the superintendent, may be allowed to handle classes on
part-time basis.
SECTION 10. Compensation. — The salaries of full time
classroom teachers of the barrio high schools shall be at least equal
to the rate of salary of teachers of the same rank and category in
regular public high schools: provided, that honoraria for part-time
teachers shall be determined by rules and regulations which the
Secretary of Education shall promulgate: and provided, further, that
such teachers shall not be assigned to more than two periods per day of
classroom work: provided, finally, that the Secretary of Education is
hereby authorized to adopt a reasonable schedule of honoraria for
personnel of the Bureau of Public Schools who are assigned additional
duties relative to the operation of barrio high schools, any law to the
contrary notwithstanding.
SECTION 11. Curriculum. — The barrio high school
shall adopt an integrated curriculum or curricula consisting of
academic and vocational subjects, the proportion thereof shall depend
upon the needs and conditions of the community where the barrio high
school is located: provided, that the vocational course in each
curriculum year shall be terminal.
SECTION 12. Miscellaneous Provisions. — No barrio
high school, except those existing at the time of the approval of this
Act, may be authorized to open in the poblacion nor within three
kilometers radius of any existing high school: provided, that the
Secretary of Education may determine by regulation the exceptions to
the foregoing when public interest so requires.
Whenever necessary, the Superintendent of Schools shall authorize the
use by the barrio high school of hand tools, materials, and supplies
for practical arts and vocational courses existing in the elementary
school where the barrio high school holds classes.
SECTION 13. Use of Existing Facilities. — The Bureau
of Public Schools and the Bureau of Vocational Education are hereby
authorized and directed to allow the use of their existing facilities
by the barrio high schools whenever the same are not in use by their
respective schools.
SECTION 14. All ordinances approved by barrio
councils relating to the establishment and operation of the barrio high
school shall be subject to review by the respective city or municipal
council to determine whether such ordinances are not inconsistent with
law or municipal ordinance.f the city or municipal council does not
take action on the ordinance within fifteen days, non-working days
excepted, it shall be deemed as approved. Any disagreement on the
action taken by the city or municipal council shall be referred to the
provincial or city fiscal, as the case may be, for final action
pursuant to Section Twenty of the Revised Barrio Charter.
SECTION 15. Rules and Regulations. — In order to
fully implement the policy of this Act, the Secretary of Education is
hereby directed and authorized to promulgate all needful rules and
regulations including but not limited to costs of tuition and other
fees, which must be reasonable and uniform; the sharing of school
facilities and personnel the problem of accreditation and student
transfers; cause for closure of barrio high schools: provided, that no
barrio high school shall be closed without giving notice to the barrio
Council concerned nor without giving said Barrio Council a reasonable
time within which to fulfill all requirements of law or regulation; and
others.
SECTION 16. Repealing Clause. — All laws or
regulations in conflict or inconsistent with this Act are hereby
repealed and/or amended accordingly.
SECTION 17. Extent of Applicability. — This Act shall
cover all barrio high schools: provided, that barrio high schools
existing at the time of the approval of this Act shall be given a
reasonable time within which they shall comply with the requirements of
this Act.
SECTION 18. Separability Clause. — If any part,
section, or provision of this Act shall be held invalid or
unconstitutional, no other part, section or provision hereof shall be
affected thereby.
SECTION 19. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect
upon its approval.
Approved: August 4, 1969
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