DISCONTINUANCE OF THE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM IN SUCS, LUCS

RHEA PINEDA DAVID

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has issued a memorandum for state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local universities and colleges (LUCs) to stop offering the senior high school program starting next school year 2024-2025 as “there is no legal basis” to fund it according to them. They said that their engagement with DepEd on the voucher program is limited only to the K-12 transition period from school year 2016-2021.

The SUCs and LUCs were allowed to accept the senior high school students so there will be a minimal drop of enrolment resulting from the additional two years in high school.

The incoming Grade 12 students, however, can still continue so they can finish their basic education but the incoming Grade 11 students will no longer be accepted. They can enroll but they will have to pay for their own tuition fees as there will be no vouchers for them anymore. In other words, the government will not shoulder their educational expenses like tuition fees anymore.

The senior high school students are now left with two options: to enroll in public schools or to enroll in private schools which have voucher programs or pay their way

Students’ and teachers’ groups have raised the concern that this move would displace a lot of students and teachers, and could result to another learning crisis. Another problem would be the lack of teachers and classrooms in public schools to accommodate the transferees. They also fear that due to financial constraints, drop in enrolment will exacerbate.

DepEd, though, has assured that there are enough public schools to accommodate the more or less 18,000 students that will be displaced by the discontinuation of the senior high school voucher program in SUCs and LUCs.

-oOoThe author is Tecaher I at Sta. Teresita Elementary School