Chairman Popoy De Vera on Monday, Jan. 8, clarified that the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) did not order government-run universities and colleges to close their Senior High School (SHS) Programs.
In a press conference, De Vera explained that many State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs) have closed their SHS programs “because they need their facilities and teachers for their own students.”
“It is not CHED that is closing the programs, it’s the SUCs and LUCs that’s why the directive is to now look into it and if there is no more subsidy for the program, then you have to act on it,” De Vera said while defending the recent memorandum issued by the Commission on discontinuing the SHS.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2024/1/2/ched-confirms-discontinuation-of-shs-program-in-su-cs-lu-cs
Not ‘abrupt or arbitrary’
De Vera also clarified that the CHED memo issued in December was “not abrupt or arbitrary because there is no displacement of students since the current Academic Year [2022 - 2023] is ongoing.”
“It is not abrupt and what we have issued is a memorandum so that different public universities both our state universities and colleges and local universities and colleges, can act on the matter,” he added.
De Vera issued the clarification amid criticisms directed at the Commission related to the discontinuation of the SHS program in SUCs and LUCs after the K to 12 transition period has ended.
The CHED Chair stressed that there was no “arbitrariness” on the part of the Commission because many SUCs and LUCs closed their SHS programs as early as three years ago.
“This is not arbitrary, this is not whimsical. This is happening not only now,” De Vera said. “Many of them have already closed pursuant to the provisions of law that this is a transitional period,” he added.
Decision of SUCs, LUCs
During the presser, De Vera explained many “other schools on record have stopped” offering not only the SHS but also Junior High School and Elementary.
CHED records showed that the Bohol Island State University, for instance, has not been offering Elementary, Junior, and SHS.
High school in Bataan Peninsula State University has been phased out for 15 years and the secondary program has been phased out for 10 years in Ifugao State University.
Eastern Samar State University, CHED said, is “no longer” offering junior and senior high school.
CHED noted that that Bataan Provincial State University has “stopped” the SHS and retained only one section per strand for laboratory purposes while the Capiz State University stopped offering SHS two years ago.
The University of Southern Mindanao, on the other hand, will “discontinue” the admission of Grade 11 by 2024 and let the currently enrolled students graduate while the Don Honorio Ventura State University will “cease SHS offering” effective AY 2024-2025.
With these developments, De Vera said CHED is relying on the report of the SUCs and LUCs.
“It is not CHED who is closing down the program, it is the SUCs and LUCs who will look into the program, determine what is the next appropriate action, and stop accepting students,” he added.
De Vera also clarified that enrollment in public HEIs is not determined by CHED. “It is determined by the SUCs and LUCs because they also need the facilities for their students,” he said.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2024/1/8/ched-enrollment-increase-prompts-su-cs-lu-cs-to-discontinue-shs-program
Due to the Free Higher Education law, De Vera pointed out that there “is a tremendous increase in enrollment in SUCs and LUCs.”
The transition period under the K to 12 law, De Vera said, ended two years ago. With this, there is "no legal basis" to fund the SHS program in government-run HEIs, he added.
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