not care about how much a student worked hard to pass a subject for as long as he/she has unpaid balances, he/she shall receive an automatic zero grade for the term.

     No Permit, No Exam (NPNE) Policy was a decision made and approved by the Vice President for Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, Administrative Affairs and for Financial Affairs which was released last February 4.

NPNE policy is implemented in most schools, but what is questionable is the zero grade to be given to a student just because he/she failed to settle the payment for the current term.

     According to Adamson University Student Government (AUSG) president, Jean Nicole L. Mercado, the implementation of zero-grade has an effect to the students’ mental health because it can definitely bother them. With regards to the issue, AUSG thought of all the possibilities and stand to post for the administrators to defend the side of the students. Last March 11 or 12, they sent an appeal to stop the current policy on no permit, no exam and asked the administration to sit down with them to conduct a meeting not only with the students, but also with other stake holders.

     Four arguments were presented by AUSG in their letter to the admins; first, it is not aligned to the vision of the school in gearing towards to become a center for quality education for socially disadvantaged. The policy does not provide the socially-disadvantaged people the flexibility to pay their balances.

     Second, it affects the mental health of the students because instead of focusing on the exam, they tend to be worried about their permit and unpaid balances in fear of not passing a particular subject. Sometimes students just drop their subjects out of shame to be called in having no permit.

     The third concern the faculty members. Most of the time, faculty members are forced to act against their will or their values to a certain point that even if they want to give an exam to the students, they cannot because the administration advises them about the rule.

     Lastly, it is unjust for AUSG because at the end of the five-month per semester, students will still pay all their balances. If the students are given zero-grade, it is a big damage to them, and it takes 1 year to correct a grade which has a long process. The embarrassment that a student will experience from getting a zero-grade is also something that cannot be easily taken back.

     When asked about why the administrators came up with the policy, Mercado said that it is because of the premises to have a timely collection so that the operation of the university would be better. Although considered as school for the poor, the university still has expenses to pay to continue its services.

      To give a solution to the problem, Mercado said that it is better to remove the ‘zero grade’ and allow students to get promissory notes twice and not only once every semester to give an extent to those students who cannot pay their tuition fees or balances.

       Education is the only thing that parents expect their children to inherit from them. Behind every struggling student in complying with school requirements are the parents who are also offering their blood and sweat just so they can provide for the education of their children.  If the university needs to collect fees to continue its services, it must, but not through giving the burden and pressure only to those who cannot afford to pay balances on time. The amount of balance a student has should never define his/her performance, knowledge, and grade.