Almost 25% of Private Schools Operate Without Licenses

As an estimated 25.7 million students trooped to schools on Monday to kick off another school year, Department of Education (DepEd) officials lamented that "colorum" or unregistered private schools remain a problem. Yolanda Quijano, DepEd Undersecretary for programs and projects, said in an interview on dzBB radio on Monday, said about 25 percent of private schools have no licenses to operate.

Quijano said the DepEd is going through the list of schools with permits to operate. If a school is found to be operating without a permit, its students may transfer to an accredited school after taking a validation test, Quijano explained. She advised parents to check schools if they have permits to operate before enrolling their children there.