File photo shows a teacher at the Ramon Magsaysay (Cubao) High School in Quezon City discussing lessons with her students. (INQUIRER PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — Several education groups called on the government to extend the K-12 transition period and allocate time and resources for the students who may be displaced by the recent memorandum of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
The CHED on January 2 confirmed that it will discontinue the senior high school programs in state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local universities and colleges (LUCs) nationwide.
According to the Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC) and Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK), this will lead to “economic displacement” of teachers and will threaten learners’ rights to “accessible and quality education.”
“[H]aphazardly discontinuing the senior high school program in state and local universities and colleges, without guaranteeing improved access and quality of our education system, will lead to economic displacement for our teachers and threaten our learners right to accessible and quality education,” the groups said in a statement on Thursday.
The groups likewise said that students and teachers must be given ample time to be reabsorbed in other public and private senior high schools.
“Senior high schools, both public and private, have the capacity to absorb all learners affected by the discontinuation of the SHS program in SUCs and LUCs. Schools shall be provided with sufficient instructors, classrooms, and other relevant facilities such as laboratories, libraries among others to avoid congestion. Further, families are relieved of the additional costs of transferring schools such as fare, uniforms, and processing of documents,” they added.
“That the quality of education learners received from SUCs and LUCs does not decline. In line with this, the Department of Education must guarantee the performance of schools and rid itself of diploma mills and fly-by-night schools that have sprouted since the inception of the K-12 program,” the groups continued.
The groups also said that senior high school instruction and teachers who are employed at SUCs and LUCs must not be economically dislocated, and the public high schools should reabsorb them while retaining benefits and compensation.
“No economic dislocation for all SHS instructors and teachers. Public high schools must be able to absorb SHS teachers employed in SUCs and LUCs without loss of compensation and benefits, otherwise teachers risk economic displacement. In line with the need for DepEd to rid itself of diploma mills, the Department must also rid itself of private educational institutions that fail to meet labor standards,” the groups pointed out.