The country’s leading Catholic education institutions on Tuesday, July 9, strongly opposed the proposed removal of Senior High School (SHS) from the Philippine education system, calling the move “untimely” and “dangerously shortsighted.”

In a joint statement, the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) and the Episcopal Commission on Catholic Education (ECCE) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) defended the SHS program under the K to 12 curriculum, urging policymakers to pursue reform instead of repeal.

“Reform, not repeal, is the only rational and just way forward,” the groups said.

Implemented through the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, the SHS program was introduced in 2016 as a response to gaps in college and job readiness among Filipino graduates. It brought the Philippines in line with global and ASEAN education standards, adding two years of specialized education for Grades 11 and 12.

“The SHS program, launched in 2016, was not an accident of policy but a product of vision—one that sought to raise our education system to meet international benchmarks and respond to the evolving needs of Filipino learners and the labor market,” the statement read.

While critics argue that SHS adds unnecessary financial burden and has not delivered on promised employment outcomes, CEAP and CBCP emphasized the importance of expanding the SHS Voucher Program to ensure access, especially for students in underserved communities.

“Instead of scrapping the program, the government should expand and strengthen the SHS Voucher Program to ensure that no learner is left behind, particularly in underserved and marginalized communities,” the groups said.

Over 1.2 million learners currently benefit from government-funded SHS vouchers, which allow them to enroll in private schools. In remote and rural areas, these partnerships help address classroom shortages and extend access to quality education where public school infrastructure is lacking.

“This is where the principle of public-private complementarity becomes more essential: the idea that public and private schools are not competitors, but partners in delivering quality education to young Filipinos,” they added.

The groups acknowledged valid concerns regarding curriculum overload, lack of qualified teachers, and weak work immersion programs. However, they warned against equating implementation issues with systemic failure.

To improve SHS outcomes, the statement recommended the establishment of Regional Centers of Excellence, closer industry-academe collaboration, and alignment of the curriculum with both labor market needs and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) requirements.

Doubts about employment readiness, they said, should be addressed through deeper industry engagement—not through dismantling the program.

Reverting to the pre-K to 12, 10-year education cycle would reverse hard-won gains and waste both public and private investments, the groups warned.

“Rather than breaking what is still being built, the government should commit to a full review of SHS implementation and institute reforms where necessary—without sacrificing its gains,” the groups stressed.

They urged the government to conduct a thorough performance review of SHS and adopt evidence-based reforms, rather than reverting to outdated systems.

“Reverting to a 10-year cycle would dismantle existing structures, waste public and private investment, and once again send Filipino students into college or the workforce underprepared,” they added.

The groups also warned that the proposed regression “undermines not just policy but promise.”

“It threatens to unravel a vision rooted in equity, global parity, and holistic learner development,” they said.

Instead of depriving learners of two transformative years, the groups stressed that the government and other education stakeholders must double down on efforts to fulfill the original promise of SHS --- to “equip every Filipino youth with the tools, competencies, and values needed for success in life and in nation-building.”