Amid concerns raised by various groups and stakeholders, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said that there were no problems or access to restrictions reported by State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs) since they stopped offering the Senior High School (SHS) Program.
“So far, the SUCs/LUCs that have closed their senior high classes, some as early as 2019, have not encountered problems and no restriction of access to education has been reported to CHED,” Chairman Popoy De Vera told reporters in a Viber message on Jan. 4.
De Vera was responding to concerns raised by the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) and Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) on the removal of the SHS Program in government-funded higher education institutions (HEIs).
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CHED and De Vera have been receiving criticisms for issuing a memorandum stating the "discontinuance" of the SHS Program in SUCs and LUCs.
“While I understand their position, the CHED memo directs the SUC/LUC Presidents/OIC to take this matter up with their Boards of Regents/Trustees so appropriate action can be done,” De Vera said.
“This is because the Board of Regents/Trustees are responsible for admission/retention/graduation policies,” he added.
Moreover, De Vera pointed out that if the BORs/BOTs have “problems attendant to this issue they should bring these to the CHED and we will look into it.”
He added that “if necessary,” CHED is also open to discussing the issue with the Department of Education (DepEd).
SHS concerns
TDC and Spark earlier pointed out that Senior High Schools, both public and private, should have the capacity to “absorb all learners” affected by the discontinuation of the SHS program in SUCs and LUCs.
The groups added that schools should also be provided with “sufficient instructors, classrooms, and other relevant facilities such as laboratories, libraries among others to avoid congestion.”
“Further, families are relieved of the additional costs of transferring schools such as fare, uniforms, and processing of documents,” TDC and Spark added.
The groups also pointed out that the government must ensure that the quality of education learners receive from SUCs and LUCs “does not decline.”
Related to this, the groups said the DepEd must also guarantee the “performance of schools and rid itself of diploma mills and fly-by-night schools that have sprouted since the inception of the K-12 program.”
TDC and Spark noted that there should be “no economic dislocation” for all SHS instructors and teachers.
“Public High Schools must be able to absorb SHS teachers employed in SUCs and LUCs without loss of compensation and benefits, otherwise teachers risk economic displacement,” they added.
For its part, De Vera said CHED is “ready to sit down with all education stakeholders on this matter to ensure that no student is left behind in their desire to get educated.”