JEDDAH, 14 November — In a dramatic move, Philippine Consul General Kadatuan Usop took over the management of the International Philippine School in Jeddah (IPSJ) yesterday, and assured a fresh election of the Board of Trustees (BOT).
"I've assumed the chairmanship of the school management under the direction of the Philippine government," Usop told Arab News after he addressed the school staff, faculty and parents about the consulate's takeover.
In his address, he outlined the circumstances in which he had taken over the school management under instructions from Manila and announced the various steps he would be taking to restore "normalcy and solvency."
Usop's takeover came after two weeks of wrangling in which a group of parents seized control of the school and sought to replace the BOT the Saudi Ministry of Education (MOE) had recognized.
Arab News tried but failed to contact Mansour Ghazali, the director of foreign education in the Makkah region, who visited the school on Ghornatah Street just three days ago to reaffirm its support for the BOT despite charges of mismanagement and misappropriation of school funds.
Leaders of the Parent-Teachers Council have also accused the MOE-backed trustees led by Efren Rodriguez of overstaying, refusing to come up with a financial statement, and calling a parents assembly, all in violation of the IPSJ constitution and by-laws.
Usop said his orders to take charge of the IPSJ came from an interagency committee in Manila, comprising representatives of the departments of foreign affairs, labor, and education had been overseeing Philippine overseas schools.
"The direction was given to me to take control of the school in a bid to restore normalcy and solvency," Usop said.
According to him, the school, supervised by the consulate, was solvent until the Rodriguez BOT took charge three years ago. He said the board was elected for a one-year period but continued to run the school for two more years when the MOE extended its term.
"During the three years, the BOT did not call for election in spite of demands from the community. It also failed to issue a financial statement. The school's rental payment of half a million riyals has been delayed for long. In the past two weeks there was utter confusion, as the newly elected BOT could not function even after getting a mandate from the parents. As a result, there was restlessness in the community," he added.
"My immediate concern is to restore order in the school and see that it operates smoothly under the three basic principles of management — responsibility, accountability and transparency. The old BOT had completely defied these avowed principles," Usop said, adding: The discredited BOT was thrown out in the same democratic way that President Joseph Estrada was replaced back home.
“They had mismanaged the school affairs and turned it into a milking cow. There was no transparency in their dealings. In fact, they had thrown to the winds all the principles of good management,” he said.
“I’ll surely be interacting with MOE Director for Foreign Education Mansour Ghazali whenever necessary,” Usop said in reply to a question. The school is to have an acting principal to begin with.
In his school address in the afternoon, Usop said the past two weeks were trying moments for the community.
“There were pronouncements and counterpronouncements, and visits and countervisits from different quarters. Assurances and reassurances were also heard, yet so far the school affairs remain unsettled and confused. The community, especially the students, is made to suffer the effects of decisions and indecisions, truths and half-truths,” he said.
“The IPSJ, which is dear to parents as it molds the future of their children, is dear to our government in Manila and also its mission here,” he said. It was the first Filipino school established overseas. It was an embassy school with children of embassy personnel studying. After almost three decades, in 1991, it became a community school. It’s still a school for the children of some of our consulate personnel,” Usop said.
“Undoubtedly none among us, whether in the consulate or the embassy, can countenance disorder, confusion and disruption in the school. It’s tranquility, stability and peace must be safeguarded at all times. We’re taking over the IPSJ to bring it back to you in the same condition as it used to be in the past in the interest of continuing to make our children patriotic, law abiding, peace-loving and progressive citizens,” he added.
He told them that the basic management principles — responsibility, accountability and transparency — would be strictly adhered to.
“Unfortunately, they have been missing for sometime now. It hurts to know, but it hurts even more because the IPSJ was made to suffer the consequences of the lack of these guiding principles,” he said.
He detailed the following steps:
• There will be no suspension or termination of existing personnel unless they were involved in serious cases.
• No hiring of new personnel unless urgently required due to vacancies created by voluntary resignation or termination.
• Strict enforcement of law, rules and regulations of the Philippine Department of Education, in tandem with those of the Saudi Ministry of Education (MOE).
• Formation of a finance review committee to examine the current financial condition of the school and, if warranted, engage the services of a local auditing firm to assist in this effort.
• Formation of a management committee to review existing staff pattern toward efforts to rationalize the operation and management of the school
• Arrange for the holding of a board election in a fair and honest manner within a reasonable period in coordination with the MOE. Election is an essential pillar of democracy where the voice of the majority is expressed, not diluted or tampered.
• Report all actions and activities to concerned Philippine government authorities regularly.
Asked for comment, ousted Board chairman Rodriguez begged off, saying the issue is now between the Philippine Consulate and the MOE.
In previous statements, he said they were just complying with the MOE’s rules extending their term of office. “We cannot abandon our responsibilities,” he had said, adding that they could not just hold an election without the ministry’s go-ahead.
A third bloc of parents, which broke up from the group of Fidel Hernandez, said they were elated that the standoff is over and that they were all for the principles and guidelines set by Usop.
“We thank the consul general for intervening and taking control so that normalcy will be restored in the school. We, the parents comprising the Third Force, fully support his move to restore order with the end-view of conducting an election for a new Board of Trustees. That, after all, was what we have been clamoring for from the start,” said the group in a statement relayed to Arab News by Nilo Lucena, president of the school’s Parent-Teacher Group for the Grade 3 level.
He reiterated that they are supporting neither the “overstaying” Rodriguez Board nor the “unelected” Hernandez Board.
“We have made it clear again and again that we are for transparency, accountability and for the election of a new BOT,” he said, adding that they will give their full support to the consul general in hopes that their clamor would be finally realized.
