MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has ordered state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local universities and colleges (LUCs) to discontinue offering the senior high school program beginning next school year as “there was no legal basis to fund it.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a memorandum dated Dec. 18, 2023, CHEd Chairman J. Prospero de Vera 3rd directed SUC heads to bring the discontinuance of senior high school in SUCs to their board of regents (BoR) or board of trustees (BoT).

 

“Considering the foregoing, SUC presidents/OICs are directed to bring their respective SUC board of regents and board of trustees the discontinuance of senior high school in SUCs because there is no legal basis to fund the same,” the memorandum read.

 

CHEd Chairman J. Prospero de Vera 3rd

The memorandum cited the commission's decision, through CHEd Memorandum Order (CMO) 32 of 2015 and CMO 33 of 2016, that engagement of SUCs and Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs) in basic education through SHS shall be for the K-12 transition period only — school year (SY) 2016-2017 to SY 2020-2021.

 

 

"The Department of Education has already issued a notice through the Private Education Assistance Committee, that beginning SY 2023-2024, there should be no more Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (Gastpe) beneficiaries from SUCs/LUCs, except those who will be entering Grade 12 in SY 2023-2024 to finish their basic education and that SUCs and LUCs with laboratory school can accept enrollees but will no longer receive vouchers," the memorandum said.

 

"Considering the foregoing, SUC Presidents/OICs are directed to bring to their respective SUC BOR/BOT the discontinuance of senior high school in SUCs as there is no longer legal basis to fund the same," it added.

 

De Vera directed SUCs with laboratory school to "present to the Board the financial implications of notice from the Department of Education as to non-issuance of vouchers for senior high school enrollees in SUCs and compliance with CMO No. 32, Series of 2015, which provides that following the transition period, the laboratory schools shall cap enrollment to 750 students."

 

The memorandum was addressed both to SUC heads and to CHEd regional directors/OICs of CHEd regional offices.

 

How many are affected?

Based on DepEd data, some 17,751 grade 11 students are currently enrolled in SUCs and LUCs.

 

In a Bagong Pilipinas interview on Wednesday, January 3, CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera III said that in the past two years, the commission had been telling public universities to “wind down their senior high [enrollment] because there is no more legal basis for their offering of high school [education].”

 

“Tapos na ang transition period. Puno na ang state universities and colleges. Kailangan na nilang gamitin ang mga kuwarto at mga teacher. Kaya’t wala ng basehan para mag-offer sila ng senior high school,” he said.

 

(The transition period is over. State universities and colleges are full. They need to use the classrooms and teachers. That’s why there’s no more basis for them to offer senior high school.)

 

He noted that SUCs should only offer degree courses. De Vera said that SUCs that have “laboratory schools” can still offer the senior high school program since they have been doing this even prior to K to 12. Laboratory schools are those under SUCs that are being used by those pursuing an education degree.

 

Meanwhile, there are some 2,030,451 grade 12 students currently enrolled in SUCs and LUCs. De Vera said that universities and colleges “should let them finish the academic year.”

 

“The Department of Education has already issued a notice, through Private Education Assistance Committee, that beginning SY 2023-2024, there should be no more Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education and Teachers in Private Education beneficiaries from SUCs/LUCs, except those who will be entering Grade 12 in SY 2023-2024 to finish their basic education and that SUCS and LUCs with laboratory school can accept enrolled but will no longer receive vouchers,” the CHED memorandum read.