To: Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries
Bureau Directors
Directors of Services/Centers and Heads of Units
Regional Directors
Schools Division/City Superintendents
All Others Concerned

1. Reports have reached this Office that several private enterprises/entrepreneurs are taking advantage of the Department’s requirement to conduct a High School Readiness Test (HSRT) for incoming first year high school students. They are already offering review classes for this test. Some use the slogan “Why take the bridge when you can pass the test.”
2. In view of this, the Department wishes to caution the general public on the following, to wit:
   1. The Department does not endorse any review classes for any commercial undertaking. Any institution claiming through its flyers or other forms of announcement that the Department is endorsing the said institution should be disregarded and the same be reported to the nearest DepED Regional or Division Office so that appropriate legal and other actions can be taken against such institution/s.
   2. Review classes mentioned herein are private entrepreneurial initiatives over which the Department has limited control.
   3. Anyone who is considering to attend/avail of this private review classes, particularly parents and students, are advised to exercise due care and diligence to find out more about these review classes taking into account the following: (1) the institutions offering review classes must have competent reviewers and adequate facilities for this purpose; and (2) the institution should have complied with the necessary legal requirements to operate these review classes
   4. It cannot be overemphasized that taking the aforementioned review classes does not ensure success in the High School Readiness Test, especially, if such classes are of poor quality.
3. All field offices (Regional and Division Offices) are instructed to report to the Central Office any mispresentation that such review classes are conducted with the support and endorsement of the Department or of any of its field offices.
4. In this regard, the field Offices are directed to refrain from directly and indirectly participating in the facilitation and endorsement or the issuance of the permit/authority in favor of review centers/institutions.
5. Immediate dissemination of and compliance with this Order is directed.

References: DepED Memoranda: Nos. 37 and 75, s. 2004
Allotment: 1—(DO. 50-97)

To be indicated in the Perpetual Index under the following subjects:
CLASSES
POLICY
SECONDARY EDUCATION
TEST

DO_s2004_018