By Merlina Hernando-Malipot  Groups on Thursday urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to temporarily suspend its order requiring private schools to comply with the readiness assessment checklist for learning delivery modalities in their Learning Continuity Plan (LCP) pending proper consultation with stakeholders. The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA), which serves as the unifying voice of private education in the Philippines, the recently-issued order of DepEd would further marginalize the already “struggling” private schools. COCOPEA Managing Director Atty. Joseph Noel Estrada said that there are “too many non-negotiable minimum requirements for learning delivery modalities” under DepEd Order No. 13 series of 2020 issued by DepEd to ensure readiness of private schools this coming school year. Estrada said that the memo did not comply with the minimum public consultation and even publication requirement to be effective. Since it is not an inter-office memo, he stressed that “it requires administrative due process in DepEd’s function of rule-making.” The issuance of the said Order, Estrada said, also “goes against the mandate of reasonable supervision and regulation of all educational institutions under the Constitution.” In particular, he pointed out that the DO 13 requires the school reports to be reviewed by officials in the regional level. “They cannot substitute their own judgment and discretion to that of the private school authorities,” he said. “That would be an overreach of supervisory powers,” he added. Impact on private schools Estrada also cautioned on the effect of such a directive on schools. “It would further marginalize struggling private schools and the order is inconsistent with DepEd's own learning continuity plans,” he said. “How can there be continuity of learning if DepEd itself provides the regulatory barriers for schools to continue?” he added. With the public pressure from parents, including government officials, to reduce tuition, Estrada pointed out that private schools will not have enough funds to comply with the “non-negotiable minimum requirements” set by the DepEd. Estrada also asked DepEd if what is required of private schools are also non-negotiable for public schools. “If we expect quality, it should be for all schools,” he said. COCOPEA also pointed out the timeliness of the Order’s issuance dated June 19, 2020. “Why release these requirements only now?” he asked. “The requirements are set at optimum but no counterpart funding support,” he added. ‘Walk the talk’ The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines, in a separate statement, also hit DepEd for its “hypocrisy” in the requirements it set for employing the blended modes of learning sans face-to-face classes in private schools. “The requirements it demands from private schools are the same ones teachers and parents have been calling for in the public sector, but to which DepEd has not committed,” said ACT Philippines Secretary General Raymond Basilio. Like COCOPEA, the ACT also calls for a “democratic consultation.” Throughout the said order, the group said that DepEd indicated the need for private schools to orient stakeholders on all the modalities. “The basic requirement of ensuring that all concerned constituents understand and are on board with the plans for education have not been sincerely met by the agency,” Basilio said. DepEd has yet to issue an official statement on the matter.