Tertiary schools’ needs highlighted

TACLOBAN CITY: Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) Chairman J. Prospero de Vera 3rd on Friday cited the advantages if state universities and colleges (SUCs), and local universities and colleges (LUCs) stop enrolling senior high school (SHS) students on their campuses.

Speaking to reporters during his visit to Samar State University (SSU), de Vera said there has been increasing enrollment in tertiary schools and they need more learning facilities.

“More students have been enrolling in college every year due to the scholarship program. Our SUCs and LUCs need more classrooms and teachers. Facilities used by SHS students can be used by college students,” he said.

The move, according to the official, is not new because some tertiary schools have reduced their SHS enrollment even before the pandemic.

“There are many SUCs that have stopped offering their SHS as early as 2018. Some college schools never offered SHS programs and never heard any complaints,” he said.

De Vera noted that from 32 percent in the past, the number of university-aged participants increased to 41 percent in 2023.

“It’s time for our SUCs to invest in technology for implementing distance learning to deliver learning online to more learners,” he added.

The memorandum on the discontinuation of the SHS program in SUCs and LUCs on Dec. 18, 2023 was not abrupt, de Vera said, adding that academic year 2023-2024 is still ongoing, and no displacement of students has occurred.

“There is no more legal basis for SUCs and LUCs to have senior high schools, except for those having laboratory schools for their education [degree] students. They need additional facilities because of the increased enrollment in SUCs,” he said.

De Vera is in Samar from February 1-3 for a series of events, including a dialogue with SSU students and employees, a campus tour and the induction of a new set of Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) officers.