Board sought to regulate private schools

The State Board of Education is looking to address the absence of a regulatory body which should oversee the entry of private schools into the CNMI education system.

BOE Chair Frances H. Diaz has underscored the need for the creation of a regulatory board which would exercise control over schools chartered out of the Public School System.

“Everybody just comes in and opens a new school by getting a business license,” the board chair pointed out.

Ms. Diaz expressed concern on the lack of an authorized body to look at the curriculum of these schools.

She expressed fears that these institutions may not be meeting all the curriculum requirements and the standard length of the school calendar every year.

“Students who go to schools that are not regulated may have difficulty transferring to other schools. They might have problems because they may not meet all the requirements, or needed 180 days school year,” Ms. Diaz explained.

She further added that these are only some of the standards which need to be looked into and followed.

Some private schools in the CNMI, especially those that are members of the Coalition of Private Schools, follow the proper curriculum and the required number of school days.

“But not all private schools are members of the coalition,” Ms. Diaz said. There are currently 16 private schools in the CNMI.

Despite the need to immediately address the problem, the board chair said the issue at hand is one which the Legislature should first assess.

“We have to pass this on to our legislators,” she added.

Meanwhile, the coalition earlier expressed plans to push for a legislation allowing foreign, non-U.S. citizens to attend elementary and intermediate schools in the CNMI.

The group believes that granting foreign, non-US citizens the “I-20” visa, similar to what’s being used in Guam and the U.S., could enhance the local economy.

Under the present set-up, foreign, non-U.S. citizens are only allowed to enter the CNMI school system if they are old enough to enter the college level.

According to the coalition, the special visa for foreign, non-U.S. citizens could lure in more investors to settle on the island.
Private schools are mainly tapping Asian students from Taiwan, Korea, and Japan, as well as Hong Kong, Singapore, and China. (MM)