‘College profs may teach senior high’

By: Kristine Felisse Mangunay - 11 years ago

MANILA, Philippines—University and college professors who may lose their jobs with the addition of two years to the high school curriculum under the K to 12 program may teach senior high school instead.

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

“(Higher education institutions), that is one of the things included in the plans, may offer senior high school. In short, if they offer senior high school, the (college professors), under the law, may teach senior high school,” Education Assistant Secretary Tonisito Umali said in an interview over dzBB radio on Saturday.

Although a militant group, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, has said that around 80,000 college and university teachers risked being affected when the two years are added to the high school curriculum beginning in 2016, Umali said this figure “appeared to be high.”

When asked what the real numbers were though, he said the data should come from the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd).

He said the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Labor and Employment, the CHEd and private higher education institutions were “coming up with strategies to understand what the real impact” of the “influx of our students to Grades 11 and 12 instead of to the first year and second year in college” would be.

2 down, 2 to go

“In any event, regardless of the numbers, the (DepEd’s) official statement is that we still have two years to prepare for this,” Umali said, adding that the department had begun its preparations two years ago.

Asked if the DepEd had prepared for a possible change in the implementation of that component of the K to 12 program with a change in administration in 2016, Umali said: “First, we believe that that will go through a process again…”

“Although we understand that some may say they would prefer to teach college instead of senior high school, we need to understand that in any change, there are those who will be affected. And here what we are talking about (will apply) only during the transition years,” he said.