The six male students from Philippine Science High School (PSHS) who allegedly shared lewd photos of their female schoolmates online won’t be marching on stage during the prestigious institution’s graduation ceremony today after its board of trustees ruled against it yesterday.
Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato de la Peña confirmed this to ABS-CBN News in a text message yesterday. He said, however, that while none of the erring students will be allowed to march the stage today, three will be awarded PSHS diplomas while the other three will be given certificates of completion given that they fulfill all requirements under their penalty.
This comes after parents, teachers, and students protested against the board’s previous decision to allow all six students to attend the graduation ceremony even after two school committees recommended against it.
These six male students allegedly posted lewd photos of female schoolmates — some underage — without their consent as early as 2017.
According to Rappler, the board discussed the issue for around six hours yesterday.
An unnamed source told GMA News that the school board’s discussion distinguished between not allowing the students to attend the graduation and whether they should be given diplomas or just a certificate of completion. Each student’s case was also treated separately.
A diploma specifies that a student graduated from a certain school, while the certificate of completion only states that they finished their secondary education. Both allow students to go on to college.
PSHS is a prestigious public school that awards scholarships to gifted students.
