CHED Chairman J. Prospero de Vera III has instructed all state universities and colleges (SUCs) to halt the offering of senior high school (SHS) programs from the upcoming school year (SY 2024-2025).
The reason behind this directive is the perceived absence of a legal basis for funding the program.
In a memorandum dated December 18, 2023, De Vera emphasized that the authorization for SUCs and local universities and colleges (LUCs) to engage in basic education through the SHS program expired after the transition period for the Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) system, spanning SYs 2016-2017 to 2020-2021.
Referring to two CHED memorandum orders (CMOs) issued during the tenure of his predecessor, Patricia Licuanan, De Vera reiterated that the involvement of SUCs and LUCs in basic education through senior high school was limited to the K-12 transition period.
De Vera highlighted that the Department of Education (DepEd) had already communicated that there would be no government assistance for private school students and teachers transferring to SUCs and LUCs for the SHS program, with an exception for those entering Grade 12 in SY 2023-2024.
He urged SUC presidents to bring the discontinuance of senior high school in SUCs to their respective boards, emphasizing the lack of a legal basis for funding. For SUCs with laboratory schools, financial implications and compliance with enrollment caps were also to be presented to the boards.
The CHED chairman instructed regional directors to monitor SUCs and LUCs’ adherence to the memorandum.
via Philstar Global
