DAVAO CITY (PIA) -- No student from the Davao region will be displaced following the recent order of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to discontinue the Senior High School (SHS) program in state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local universities and colleges (LUCs) starting school year 2024-2025, a local CHED official said.

“Here in Davao Region, there are no state universities and colleges or local universities and colleges that are currently offering the SHS program. Therefore, no students are affected because of this transition,” Dr. Christopher Pio Pulido, supervising education program specialist of the CHED regional office said during the Kapihan sa PIA at NCCC Mall Victoria Plaza in Davao City.

Pulido disclosed that only Davao Oriental State University (DorSU) in Mati City had offered the SHS program during the K-12 program’s transition period in the region, but the institution has discontinued the program in the school year 2019-2020.

He also clarified that the order of CHED is only to stop implementation of the SHS program in SUCs and LUCs, not to abolish the K-12 program in the Philippine education system.

Now that the transition is over, Pulido said there is no longer a legal basis for the SUCs and LUCs to offer the SHS program, prompting the commission to discontinue the SHS program in SUCs and LUCs.

Another reason for the discontinuation of the SHS program in the government-run universities and colleges was the recent order of DepEd to provide vouchers only to Grade 12 students enrolled in SUCs and LUCs, leaving Grade 11 students with no assistance.

Under the new guidelines on the provision of vouchers among SHS students, if the SHS remains in SUCs and LUCs, grade 11 students will be obliged to pay, Pulido said.

He said, though, that this was ironic, adding that SUCs and LUCs are covered by Republic Act 10931, or the Free Higher Education Act.

Pulido said that the SUCs and LUCs could only offer SHS programs to be used as a laboratory school for their teacher education program.

However, it will only be possible if the SUCs and LUCs have the capacity and facilities and the institution’s board of regents or board of trustees will approve.

Also, Pulido emphasized that the order only applies to government-run state universities and colleges.

“This is only applicable to SUCs and LUCs; the private schools can go on with their usual operations of a senior high school. As they have the authority from DepEd, they can offer that,” he said. (ASO/PIA-XI/Thumbnail photo from PNA)