‘Dropout rates may spike with SHS removal from colleges’

Lawmakers on Thursday warned that removing senior high school programs in state universities and local colleges could worsen dropout rates in the country.

Reps. Arlene Brosas of Gabriela Women’s Party and France Castro of ACT Teachers issued the warning as they protested the Dec. 18, 2023 memo of the Commission on Higher Education reminding state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local universities and colleges (LUCs) to discontinue their senior high school programs.

Brosas said the CHED policy deprived students of access to education, because they will just drop out.

“We think this CHED memo will put our students, parents, and teachers…in an increasingly precarious situation,” she said.

Castro said the Department of Education (DepEd) and the CHed should have held a series of consultations with the stakeholders like students, parents and teachers before issuing their memos cutting the financial aid for Grades 11 and 12 in SUCs and LUCs.

She said the memos should not be implemented until a thorough consultation has been done, and the welfare of students and teachers are ensured.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday called on CHED and the DepEd to ensure a “seamless transition” for the affected senior high school (SHS) learners, particularly the 17,700 Grade 11 students who may need to change schools.

To prevent any disruption in learners’ education, he said DepEd should explore options such as admitting these learners in public schools or facilitating their transfer to the private sector where they can benefit from the voucher program.

He said the “seamless transition” should also be observed on teachers from SUCs and LUCs which were disallowed to accept incoming Grade 12 students based on the latest CHED memo.

“It is crucial that the DepEd and CHED assist the teaching and non-teaching personnel who are at risk of losing their jobs,” Gatchalian said.

“These teachers and non-teaching personnel helped our schools during the K-12 transition period, which started from School Year 2016-2017,” Gatchalian said. “We need to ensure that they will keep their jobs once SUCs and LUCs stop offering senior high school.”

Some 17,700 incoming Grade 12 students will have to transfer from SUCs and LUCs to private or public schools under the DepEd for School Year 2024-25, DepEd spokesman Michael Poa said earlier this week.

This is after the CHED confirmed its decision to discontinue its senior high school program in SUCs and LUCs as the transition period under the K-to-12 program has ended.

“Based on the reports of our regional directors, our public schools will be able to accommodate those that will have to transfer,” Poa told Manila Standard in an interview.

“But of course, students have the option to transfer to private schools and they will be allowed to avail of the Senior High School Voucher Program,” he said.

The 17,700 Grade 11 students currently enrolled in SUCs and LUCs for School Year 2023-24 are all non-voucher recipients, Poa said.

“The plan really was for the voucher program to end by School Year 2020 to 2021. This is also the reason why DepEd stopped issuing vouchers for Grade 11 students enrolled in SUCs and LUCs for the School Year 2023-24,” he said.

“In fact, there are regions now that have no senior high learners in SUCs and LUCs so no one will have to transfer in the incoming school year in these regions,” the DepEd official added.

He said the bulk of the incoming Grade 12 students from SUCs and LUCs are from Metro Manila and the Cordillera Administrative Region.

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