‘SUCs, LUCs need legal basis, capacity to continue offering SHS’

MANILA, Philippines — State universities and colleges (SUCs) as well as local universities and colleges (LUCs) that still want to continue offering the senior high school (SHS) program need to look for a legal basis and consider the capacity of their institutions and that of regular high schools near them before they can be authorized to continue accepting Grades 11 and 12 students, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said yesterday.

CHED chairman J. Prospero de Vera III said the commission could not authorize the continuation of SHS programs in SUCs and LUCs nationwide without having determined the capacity of their facilities and those of the Department of Education (DepEd).

De Vera, however, admitted that some SUCs favor continued SHS programs because these serve as “feeder programs” for certain specializations of respective SUCs, such as those that offer maritime transportation and engineering programs.

“First, we have to determine who these SUCs (and LUCs) are and where they are located. And is there capacity of regular DepEd schools for these students going to senior high? Because if DepEd schools have the capacity, then the capacity will allow SHS students to enroll in DepEd schools,” he said at a press conference.

“This is not just an exclusive decision of SUCs and LUCs and all of CHED. If there is capacity in regular schools, under the law, that’s where students should be studying,” he added.

The CHED chief pointed out that he issued the memorandum directing SUCs and LUCs to discontinue the SHS program for their respective administrations to study the problem in their areas and find the best solution.

If regular high schools in a certain area cannot absorb students displaced by the CHED memorandum, the commission should discuss the next steps with SUCs, LUCs and the DepEd, according to De Vera.

“At the appropriate time, if we can determine that there is limited capacity in DepEd facilities and there’s still capacity in SUCs and LUCs, then we’ll treat these cases one by one and look into it and look for the legal basis to continue this program,” he said.

“But (the legal basis and information on capacity) is not available now, that’s why we instructed the SUCs and LUCs to discuss this because other SUCs and LUCs have decided a long time ago, some three years ago, and they have discontinued the program already,” he added.

The DepEd’s data showed that about 160 SUCs and LUCs offered SHS programs before the CHED’s directive for all SUCs and LUCs to stop offering the program starting next school year 2024-2025.

SUCs and LUCs offered SHS programs as part of an agreement with the DepEd for the transition period for K-12 from 2016 to 2021, when most colleges and universities would have little to no freshmen.

De Vera noted that apart from canvassing capacities, SUCs and LUCs should also help look for a legal basis to continue offering SHS programs if they want to keep them running in their schools.

“Of course, the legal basis needs to be studied because if you continue to accept SHS students, how do they pay their tuition and miscellaneous fees? Before, it was the DepEd giving vouchers to pay for it and it is legal because it is part of the K-12 law,” he said.

“If there is no more voucher, how do they pay for their education? Will SUCs and LUCs be authorized to charge tuition for SHS? Is it within their legal mandate to do that? Because they were created to be higher education institutions, not secondary schools,” he added.

For the CHED chief, SUCs and LUCs should immediately discuss their next steps so that the commission and the DepEd could determine “available and possible” options.

The DepEd earlier said public schools have enough facilities and teachers to accommodate over 17,000 Grade 11 students who would be displaced by the discontinuation of SHS programs in SUCs and LUCs.

The agency added that its regional offices have reported that each public school division can accommodate an average of 250 learners, enough to accommodate 17,700 incoming Grade 11 students.

Students and their parents may consider transferring to public schools, “which is free,” or to private schools, where they can receive vouchers to subsidize school fees, according to the education department.

Tuition subsidy

SHS students who will be dislocated from SUCs may transfer to private schools and avail themselves of tuition subsidy from the government, Makati 2nd District Rep. Luis Campos Jr. said yesterday, following CHED’s order to stop offering SHS program starting SY 2024-2025.

Some P27.8 billion is earmarked in this year’s national budget to “pay for the tuition of disadvantaged Grades 11 and 12 students enrolled in private secondary schools, or in private universities and colleges offering the SHS program,” according to Campos.

“Assuming that SHS students currently enrolled in SUCs cannot be accommodated in DepEd schools in their communities, they can enroll in private schools and the SHSVP (Senior High School Voucher Program) can pay for their tuition,” he said.

The lawmaker added that the P27.8 billion for the SHSVP provides tuition grants to enable qualified Grade 10 completers, as determined by the DepEd, to enlist for Grades 11 and 12 in private high schools.

CHED issued the directive last month, underscoring that there is no longer any legal basis to fund the program.

In a memorandum dated Dec. 18, 2023, CHED explained that the authority of SUCs and LUCs to engage in basic education through the SHS program had lapsed after SYs 2016-2017 to 2020-2021, the supposed transition period for the K-12 system.

Campos said the SHSVP pays for the tuition of underprivileged Grades 11 and 12 students placed in private schools “owing to the lack of DepEd schools in their communities, or because existing public schools are already overcrowded.”

“We must stress that private high schools are the government’s partners in improving public access to basic education,” he added.

The lawmaker, however, maintained that the SHSVP also helps to provide income to private high schools, many of which suffered severe financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. — Sheila Crisostomo