No graduation, only ‘moving up’ rites for HS seniors

There will be no graduation ceremonies this April for at least 1.2 million students this year as they will be the first batch of Grade 10 – formerly fourth y year high school – students who will now move up to the first year of Senior High School (SHS).

With the nationwide implementation of the SHS under the K to 12 Program of the Department of Education (DepEd), at least 1.2 million to 1.6 million students are expected to enroll in Grade

11 this June.

‘Moving Up’

Instead of the traditional graduation ceremonies where students receive diplomas for completing secondary or high school education, there will be a “Moving Up” or “Completion” cer- emony where each will receive Junior High School (JHS) certificate.

DepEd announced that all graduation and completion ceremonies for SY 2015-2016 should be scheduled on or before April 1, 2016. Earlier, DepEd had announced the guidelines for the “end of school year rites” for both public and private elementary and secondary schools nationwide.

For this school year, Luistro noted that only Grade 6 and Grade 12 students from schools with DepEd approved K to 12 transition plans; schools with permit to operate SHS starting SY 2014; and international schools with K to 12 program will graduate and will receive an elementary certificate and a high school diploma, respectively.

Simple yet meaningful

Just like in the recent years, Luistro reiterated that this year’s graduation rites should be “simple yet meaningful.”

“While we recognize that graduation marks a milestone in one’s life, let our focus be on our sense of community and personal responsibility as graduates whose journey in life has just begun,” Luistro said in a statement.

Echoing the government’s auster- ity program, Luistro reiterated that the graduation rites should be conducted “without excessive spending, extravagant attire, or extraordinary venue.”

Luistro also reminded schools officials to refrain from collecting “any graduation/moving up/closing ceremony fees or any kind of contribution” since the graduation expenses in public schools should be charged to the school maintenance and other operating expenses under the 2016 budget.