CHED directs state, local universities to discontinue SHS program. How will students be affected?
State universities and colleges (SUCs) and local universities and colleges (LUCs) will no longer offer the Senior High School (SHS) program beginning school year 2024-2025, a memorandum from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) announced.
A memorandum from the CHED Office of the Chairperson was circulated online, with the document dated Dec. 18, 2023. Chairperson J. Prospero de Vera III confirmed the issuance on Jan. 2.
The end of the SHS program in SUCs and LUCs comes as these institutions' engagement in basic education through the K-12 transition period is limited from "SY 2016-2017 to SY 2020-2021 only."
ICYMI: Last December 18, the Commission on Higher Education sent a memorandum to all regional offices and heads of state and local universities and colleges (SUCs and LUCs) regarding the discontinuance of senior high school learning in SUCs and LUCs starting this school year.… pic.twitter.com/IJ0oSwwUQn
— The GUIDON (@TheGUIDON) December 30, 2023
This is in line with previous CHED Memorandum Orders No. 32 and 33 in 2015 and 2016, respectively.
De Vera added that the Department of Education (DepEd) has already issued a notice through the Private Education Assistance Committee that at the start of SY 2024-2025, there will be no more government assistance to private school students and teachers who moved to SUCs and LUCs for SHS. However, students entering Grade 12 in the upcoming school year are exceptions to this.
SUCs and LUCs with laboratory schools can also accept enrollees but these students will no longer receive vouchers.
The memo also directs SUC presidents and Officers-in-Charge (OICs) to bring to their respective Board of Regents or Board of Trustees the discontinuance of the SHS program.
De Vera said that there is "no longer legal basis" to fund the SHS program.
How will students be affected?
In regards to the memo, the SHS program isn't coming to a halt entirely. It just won't be offered in SUCs and LUCs anymore. Grade 11 and 12 students can still enroll at DepEd and private schools and universities.
"Grade 11 students going to Grade 12 will continue," De Vera told PhilSTAR L!fe. "What will be stopped [in SUCs and LUCs] is accepting new senior high (grade 11) students.
The CHED chairperson added that SUCs with laboratory schools will continue to have high school students but enrollment will cap at 750 students as per CMO No. 32 Series 2015.
"Private schools will continue to have senior high school students funded under the voucher program of DepEd or as regular paying students," he added.