Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said on Tuesday, January 2, he expects there is sufficient coordination between the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to ensure that there will be no disruption in the education of students.
This was after CHED officially announced the discontinuation of the Senior High School (SHS) Program in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs).
He said that the move to discontinue the offering of Senior High School (SHS) programs in SUCs and LUCs aligns with the mandate of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
"While they were allowed to provide SHS during the transition period, we agree that it is not the role of HEIs to offer basic education, except for those with laboratory schools," he added.
Yet the senator pointed out that it is imperative to consider the impact of this directive on affected students and sufficient DepEd or private sector capacity to take it on must also be ensured through proper coordination within the two agencies.
CHED Chairman J. Prospero de Vera III earlier confirmed the issuance of a Memorandum from the Office of the Chairperson dated December 18 which stated the "discontinuance" of the SHS Program in SUCs and LUCs.
De Vera clarified that this decision aligns with CHED's previous directives through CMO Nos. 32 and 33 series of 2015 and 2016.
These directives specified that the "engagement of SUCs and LUCs in basic education through senior high school shall be limited to the K-12 transition period, which is from SY 2016-2017 to SY 2020-2021 only."
He also highlighted that DepEd has issued a notice through the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC). Beginning SY 2023-2024, there will be no more Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education beneficiaries from SUCs and LUCs.
However, exceptions are made for those entering Grade 12 in SY 2023-2024 to complete their basic education.