P15-M grants available to axed tutors

The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) is urging teachers displaced from higher education institutions (HEIs) by the K-12 program to avail themselves of two-year P15-million grants that would allow them to participate in research work while in transition.

CHEd announced it was accepting proposals for the Discovery-Applied Research and Extension for Trans/Interdisciplinary Opportunities (Dare To) research grants until Oct. 21.

“The Dare To research grant is a once-in-a-generation grant valued at up to P15 million for two years per proposal. It aims to seed research in higher education to conduct multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary research ventures with Philippine HEIs,” the CHEd said.

The grant would allow HEI faculty and staff, who had been either de-loaded from teaching or displaced from their institutions, time to maximize the K-12 transition period conducting collaborative research and innovative work, it said.

The proposals must be multidisciplinary and aligned to the following research areas: Food production and security; environment, disaster risk reduction, climate change and energy; terrestrial and marine resources: economy, biodiversity and conservation; smart analytics and engineering innovations, and education for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics).

Prior to the full draw out of the Senior High School program last June, the Department of Education predicted that 39,000 HEI faculty members would be displaced over five years as the worst-case scenario only if none of the HEIs put up their own SHS.

As of July, over 4,711 private high schools, private and public universities and colleges, technical-vocational schools and Philippine schools overseas were offering Grade 11 this year and Grade 12 next year.

The DepEd has hired 3,950 displaced HEI teachers, 928 of whom availed themselves of the department’s “green lane” for speedy employment.

To cushion the effects of K-12 on HEI faculty and staff, the CHEd has established a transition program, a component of which provides scholarships and grants to enable the teachers to complete their graduate degrees.