CHED Directives to SUCs
The chairman of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in the Philippines, J. Prospero de Vera III, has recently issued a significant directive impacting state universities and colleges (SUCs) nationwide.
The directive, outlined in a memorandum dated December 18, 2023, mandates the cessation of the senior high school (SHS) program in SUCs from the 2024-2025 school year.
This decision stems from needing a more legal basis to continue funding the program. The authority granted to SUCs and local universities and colleges (LUCs) to offer basic education through the SHS program was limited to the 2016-2017 to 2020-2021 school years.
This period was a transitional phase for implementing the Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) educational system.
The memorandum draws on two critical CHED orders (CMOs), Nos. 32 and 33, issued in 2015 and 2016, respectively. These orders were promulgated under the leadership of former CHED chairperson Patricia Licuanan during the administration of the late former president Benigno Aquino III.
The CMOs clearly stated that the engagement of SUCs and LUCs in the SHS program would be confined to the transition period of the K-12 system, specifically from the 2016-2017 to 2020-2021 school years.
De Vera’s memorandum also highlights the Department of Education’s (DepEd) stance, which aligns with the cessation of the SHS program in SUCs and LUCs. The DepEd has announced that it will discontinue government assistance to private school students and teachers who transferred to SUCs and LUCs for the SHS program.
The only exception is for students entering Grade 12 in the 2023-2024 school year, allowing them to complete their primary education. This decision also affects the issuance of vouchers, with the DepEd indicating that SUCs and LUCs with laboratory schools can still accept enrollees but will no longer receive vouchers for them.
The CHED’s CMO No. 32 Series of 2015 was initially designed to support the country’s transition to the K-12 system. It allowed SUCs and LUCs to offer the SHS program, anticipating a decrease in enrollment in higher education institutions during the transition years.
However, this participation was explicitly intended only for the transition period. With the end of the transition period, De Vera has directed SUC presidents and officers-in-charge to present the discontinuation of the SHS program in their respective institutions to their Boards of Regents or Trustees.
This is due to the need for a legal basis for funding the program. Furthermore, for SUCs that have laboratory schools, the memorandum instructs them to comply with the enrollment cap of 750 students, as stipulated in CMO No. 32 Series of 2015, following the transition period.
To ensure compliance with these new directives, CHED regional directors have been tasked with monitoring the adherence of SUCs and LUCs to the guidelines set out in the memorandum.
This move represents a significant shift in the Philippines’ educational landscape, particularly affecting how basic education is provided in state-run higher education institutions.
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