76 STI schools to offer senior high school
DepEd gives approval
STI Holdings, which operates a vast network of schools nationwide, said that 76 out of its 77 schools across the country are now ready to offer senior high school education under the K-12 program after its approval by the Department of Education (DepEd).
In a statement, STI said STI schools can now take in enrollees, especially those from public high schools, if their schools are not yet deemed ready to implement K to 12.
This should also enable STI schools to take in enrollees in the midst of the expected dearth in enrollments for college freshmen for the next two years.
“The lack of classrooms and facilities of public high schools and the absence of freshmen students during the first year of implementation of the Senior High School posed as the opportunity that the STI group needed and at the same time, enabled the network to provide the DepEd with the needed assistance in housing the students who will be displaced,” the statement added.
During the first quarter of 2014, 92 private schools nationwide were granted permits by the DepEd to offer Senior High School. During that time, 67 or about 73 percent of these 92 institutions are STI schools.
“As of today, of the 77 schools in the STI ESG network, 76 have been granted the DepEd permit to offer Senior High School. Only one is still waiting for the permit,” the statement added.
The Senior High School programs of STI have two tracks: the Academic and Technical–Vocational tracks. Students who choose the Academic Track will be taught any of the following strands: Accountancy and Business and Management, Humanities and Social Science, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, and General Academic strand.
On the other hand, STI’s Technical–Vocational Track would consist of various strands, depending on the specialization students wish to pursue: the Information and Communications Technology strand, Home Economics strand, or the Industrial Arts strand.
STI Holdings also disclosed that its subsidiary, the iACADEMY in Makati City, was also granted permission to offer Senior High School program. The school will not only have Academic and Technical–Vocational tracks, but also Arts and Design track.
Another university owned by STI, the STI West Negros University in Bacolod City, was also authorized to offer Senior High School, with tracks in Academic, Technical–Vocational, Arts, as well as in Sports.
STI Holdings, in the last three months that ended on June 30, 2015, posted gross revenues of 414.9 million, up by 10 percent or 36.0 million from same period last year of 378.9 million.
Net income earned for the period stood at 35.4 million as against the same period last year’s net income of 39.6 million due mostly to its increased depreciation expense resulting from completion of school construction and renovation projects. The Group’s total assets as of June 30, 2015 amounted to 10.6 billion, six percent higher than the 10 billion balance as of March 31, 2015.