No lavish Christmas parties, DepEd warns Baguio schools

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY — A few days before Christmas, the Department of Education warned different schools here to have simple celebrations and not lavish parties in keeping with austerity measures being implemented nationwide.

DepEd Division of City Schools superintendent Ellen Donato, said while elementary and high school students and faculty must celebrate the spirit of Christmas before the long holiday break, parties must be kept simple and not hard on the budget of parents.

Donato said both private and public schools were already given advisorues to refrain from lavish spending during their parties.

The advisory stated that organizers of school parties must be mindful that parents of children may complain of excessive fees collected from them just to hold a Christmas party.

“We are avoiding the same thing from happening when parents flood our office with complaints on alleged excessive fees being collected from their children for the conduct of parties,” Donato said.

She said that even if members of the Parents-Teachers-Community Associations agree to a lavish party, the same is still subject to the approval of their respective school principals.

Moreover, Donato revealed teachers and principals are also not allowed to solicit for Christmas parties considering there is a standing order banning solicitations to be done by schools.
If ever there are some individuals who want to give or donate something to public schools for their parties or other purposes, she said it should be voluntary and not through solicitation.

Donato denounced some individuals and groups for using the spirit of Christmas and children to solicit from politicians and businessmen but the amount generated does not go to supposed beneficiaries and instead to pockets of erring individuals.