Can a student be allowed to join graduation march despite failing some subjects for humanitarian reasons?

IN my recent speaking engagement for school registrars, an interesting question was raised, “Can the school registrar allow a college student to join the graduation march despite failed subjects?” In other words, the students will only be allowed to join the ceremonies but would not really be conferred a baccalaureate degree, and no Special Order number shall be issued by the Commission on Higher Education.

As we all know, college graduation is like no other in the Philippines, most anticipated and celebrated by families as a matter of culture. Families prepare for such occasions, including bringing some family members back home from overseas. So much so that in 2018 when students from a government university were not allowed to join the graduation ceremonies for failure to pay tuition, the policy was met by a strong public opinion from parents. But the question propounded to me was different. Here, the students requesting to join the graduation march had not really met the academic requirements to earn the degree, but their families probably had already prepared for the graduation, and the students would be able to pass their failed subjects in the ensuing semester anyway. Hence, for “humanitarian reasons,” the college registrar allowed the students to join the graduation march.

In a similar case decided by the Supreme Court in 2022, it was held that the college registrar who allowed students to join the graduation march despite having failed subjects was guilty of serious misconduct and breach of her college’s trust and confidence — just cause for termination of employment under the Labor Code.

Serious misconduct

Jurisprudence defines misconduct as an improper or wrong conduct. It is a transgression of some established and definite rule of action, a forbidden act, a dereliction of duty, willful in character, and implies wrongful intent and not mere error, lapse, or mistake in judgment. To be serious, the conduct must be performed with wrongful intent. From this established definition, the registrar committed serious misconduct because her act was clearly a conscious transgression of the college’s established rule on graduation rites. It was not a mere error in judgment.

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Loss of confidence

The act of the registrar was also held to constitute a breach of trust and confidence. There is a loss of trust and confidence when an employee fraudulently and willfully commits acts or omissions in breach of the trust reposed by the employer. This just cause for dismissal may only exist if the employee concerned occupies a position of trust in the company. It is undisputed that a college registrar is a position of trust. The registrar is the custodian and guardian of all student records, the existence, integrity and accuracy of which are vital for any educational institution. Thus, the registrar’s conscious decision to allow the ineligible students to march showed her willfulness to transgress the established rule, which resulted in the loss of the trust and confidence reposed in her by the college.

The Court also held that the college registrar was validly dismissed from employment despite serving the college for 30 years, as her length of service cannot outweigh the seriousness of the violation she has committed, even if this is the first time she transgressed a rule. This is because once trust and confidence are betrayed, it will be difficult to restore the smooth relationship that had once been existing.

School registrars should be held in high esteem.

This case implicitly underscores the importance of the role of the registrar in the academe. The registrar ensures the integrity, accuracy and security of all academic records of current and former students; facilitates effective student registration and enrolment; builds secure student data files and sets policies and procedures for their responsible use; maintains up-to-date course schedules, catalogs, final examination schedules; and manages efficient use of classrooms. The registrar supervises the processes for the articulation of transfer credits, graduation and certification of baccalaureate and associate degrees, enrolment and degree verification, and production of official transcripts, diplomas and commencement ceremonies. The registrar counsels and advises students, faculty, and staff on academic matters. Additionally, the registrar chairs the Registration, Credits, and Graduation Council, Calendar Committee, Registration Committee, Grade Appeal Committee for undergraduate students, Commencement Committee, and Residence Rule/Retention Appeal Committee and is a member of various other councils and committees in the school, and very soon, including Christmas party raffles!

The school registrar is the most underrated and unpopular school official. We hardly see them in person. Often behind one-sided mirrors in their counters, we usually communicate with them only through the round opening in the window using a small, recycled paper and a Panda ballpen tied to a string. But their role is indispensable in any educational institution and crucial in the careers of its graduates and professionals. It is about time we hold our school registrars in high esteem by giving them the proper academic status and rank, in my opinion, at the very least, the same rank as deans. They should also be given proper training on matters that affect their efficient work, such as data privacy, AI, forgeries and falsifications, and cybercrimes.

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