Teachers and students on Sunday, Jan. 14, reiterated their concerns on the impact of shutting down Senior High School (SHS) programs in government-run higher education institutions (HEIs).
“It is our ardent wish that we all work together to avoid exacerbating the education crisis that has already beset us by mechanically shutting down the program without ample consideration of its impacts on teachers and learners alike,” the Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC) and the Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) said in a joint statement.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2024/1/2/ched-confirms-discontinuation-of-shs-program-in-su-cs-lu-cs
While the groups welcomed the pronouncements made by various stakeholders on the issue of the cessation of the SHS program in State and Local Universities and Colleges (SUCs / LUCs), TDC and SPARK pointed out several issues that have to be addressed.
Classroom backlog
The groups asserted that with the outstanding classroom backlog of about 165,000 of the Department of Education (DepEd), accommodating displaced SHS students will be the “main concern.”
“It would mean classes in public schools would be congested, which will lead to overburdening our teachers,” the groups said.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2024/1/5/discontinuing-shs-programs-in-lu-cs-su-cs-spells-disaster-act
To address this, TDC and SPARK said that DepEd should consider the geographic spread of the displaced students to “prevent enrolling them in schools miles away from their residence, which will bear additional costs to their families.”
Get rid of ‘diploma mills’
TDC and SPARK also urged DepEd to address the prevalence of “diploma mills” and “fly-by-night schools” that have contributed to the declining quality of education in the country.
“These schools is a challenge not only endured by students and their parents but also by our teachers and the general taxpaying public as well,” the groups said.
TDC and SPARK pointed out that one of the “default responses” of the DepEd to the perennial problem of congestion is to encourage the students to transfer to private schools where they can avail of vouchers to subsidize their schooling under the GASTPE program.
“While this is true, given the ample increase in the budget of the GASTPE in the national budget of 2024, the DepEd must first rid itself of diploma mills and fly-by-night schools that have contributed to the declining quality of education in the country and have served as a milking cow for unscrupulous individuals, the groups said.
Citing reports, TDC and SPARK noted that diploma mills and fly-by-night schools charge “exorbitant school fees” --- which include pricey field trips, uniforms, and superfluous expenses that “fail to contribute to the holistic development of our learners.”
With this, the groups called on DepEd to release the audit of the schools that have accessed the GASTPE program and their evaluation of these questionable schools.
“Our hardworking taxpayers deserve better if we truly aspire for a well informed and intelligent society,” they added.
TDC and SPARK are set to discuss the SHS-related concerns this week with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
Moreover, the leaders of groups and CHED and DepEd officials will also sit as resource persons in the House Committee on Basic Education hearing on Jan. 15.
RELATED STORY:
https://mb.com.ph/2024/1/8/ched-enrollment-increase-prompts-su-cs-lu-cs-to-discontinue-shs-program