A bill proposing the automation of the National Public School Database has been filed in the House of Representatives to streamline the enrolment process and make the administrative functions of the teachers more efficient.
House Bill 5974 authored by Valenzuela City representative Sherwin T. Gatchalian also mandates the establishment of a National Public School Information Office, which will develop and maintain a database containing student information such as school grades, personal data, good moral record, and improvement tracking.
Gatchalian, vice chairman of the House Committees on Housing and Urban Development, Metro Manila Development and Tourism, said the bill will not only promote easier public access to education.
The National Public School Database will also serve as a layer of protection for the safekeeping of students’ records, according to Gatchalian.
“Documents are prone to getting lost and deterioration due to human error, flood, fire, and other natural disasters. Storing student records in a database ensures that there is another source of information in case the documents get lost or destroyed,” Gatchalian said.
The proposed Public School Database Act of 2015 shall cover public elementary and secondary education.
Under the bill, school administrators are authorized to access the National Public School Database for student records including biographical data, admissions, discharges and transfers to other schools, and other student-specific data like exam scores, grade levels, attendance and immunization records.
The bill prohibits any person from using, accessing, or utilizing the National Public School Database for purposes other than what was provided under the proposed law.
Any person caught illegally altering or falsifying student information in the database will suffer the penalty of imprisonment of not less than six months but not more than one year or a fine of not less than P10,000 but not more than P50,000 or both at the discretion of the court.
