Challenges and Opportunities: DepEd RO VIII representatives meet ACC-SHS officials on Discontinuance of Senior High School program
By Steven Mark Parado
In a genuine and committed gesture , DepEd Regional Office VIII (DepEd RO VIII) representatives through Ms. Fatima Palana and Atty. Laarni Yasmin B. Ganancial met with the officials of Abuyog Community College-Senior High School (ACC-SHS) in the Board Room on Monday, January 8 to discuss various concerns on the discontinuance of Senior High School program at ACC.
The College President, Dr. Clemelle L Montallana and ACC-SHS coordinator, Mrs. Marlisa Riños took part in the dialogue.
The said initiative was in response to a memo from the Office of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson Prospero de Vera III dated December 18, 2023 emphasizing on the discontinuance of offering senior high school programs in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs).
In the schools division of Leyte, ACC is the only Senior High School that will be affected by this recent policy shift.
The memo also emphasized CHED’s previous decisions outlined in CMO Nos. 32 and 33, Series of 2016, which specified that SUCs and LUCs could only be involved in basic education through Senior High School until the completion of the K–12 transition in the school year 2020–2021.
Starting from the school year 2023-2024, there will be no more Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) beneficiaries from SUCs and LUCs, except for the graduating batch of grade 12 in the current school year.
Moreover, SUCs and LUCs with a laboratory school can still accept new students, but they will no longer be eligible for vouchers.
Finally, the dialogue was centered on how both the Department of Education and Abuyog Community College can address this challenge and assist the possible displacement of 338 Senior High Students in all Strands.
It also includes opportunities on what can be done in the eve of this policy shift and what other remedies are available to help the Senior High school learners.
As of this writing, the DepEd’s released an official statement on the Grade 11 learners enrolled in SUCs and LUCs on 16 January 2024.
“The Department of Education (DepEd) issues this statement in relation to the Grade 11 learners currently enrolled in State Universities and Colleges (SUC) and Local Universities and Colleges (LUC).
Prior to the start of the current school year, DepEd Order No. 20 s. 2023 was issued stating that there should be no more Grade 11 voucher beneficiaries from SUCs and LUCs for SY 2023-2024.
Despite this issuance, however, our records show that several SUCs and LUCs still accepted Grade 11 learners for the current school year.
To prevent any displacement of learners, the DepEd would like to announce that the Senior High School Voucher Program (SHSVP) will again be extended to Grade 11 learners currently enrolled in SUCs and LUCs for SY 2023-2024. Subsequently, they may also continue on as voucher beneficiaries to complete their Grade 12 studies come SY 2024-2025.
DepEd will be executing a Memorandum of Agreement with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to formalize the arrangement.
Finally, to avoid a similar situation going forward, we would like to remind our SUCs and LUCs that DepEd will no longer be extending the SHSVP to Grade 11 learners in their schools beginning SY 2024-2025. Hence, the acceptance of new Senior High School learners by SUCs and LUCs shall only be made in accordance with their charters and charged to their respective funds.
Thank you.”