Only public universities, colleges with lab schools can have SHS, says CHED

Chairperson Prospero De Vera of Commission on Higher Education (CHED) defends in Senate the proposed budgets of CHED and State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) for Fiscal Year 2023. (File photo from Senate PRIB / Albert Calvelo)

MANILA, Philippines — Only public higher educational institutions (HEIs) that maintain the so-called ‘laboratory schools’ are allowed to continue offering senior high school (SHS) programs.

Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson Prospero De Vera III made the announcement on Wednesday.

The statement comes, after CHED previously declared public state universities and colleges (SUCs), as well as local universities and colleges (LUCs), can no longer implement SHS programs.

It had explained universities and colleges do not have the mandate to provide basic education.

“Ang mga public universities na patuloy na magkakaroon ng high school ay mayroong tinatawag na ‘laboratory school,'” De Vera specified on Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing.

(Public universities that will continue to have high schools are those that have the so-called ‘laboratory schools.’)

“Ito ang mga public universities na nag o-offer ng teacher education at mayroon silang ‘laboratory school’ kung saan magte-train ang kanilang mga education student,” he explained.

(These are the public universities that offer teacher education, and they have a ‘laboratory school’ where their education students will train.)

De Vera disclosed the 2024 General Appropriations Act allowed only up to 750 students to be enrolled in a laboratory school per one public university.

According to the CHED chairperson, in the past, senior high schools were accommodated in SUCs and LUCs to adjust to the launching of K-12 program.

De Vera recalled basic education institutions then had an overflow of students, while HEIs had a surplus of classrooms and teachers.

This situation prompted public HEIs to offer SHS programs during the transition period.

Currently, the transition period for the implementation of the senior high school program is already over.

This means HEIs are no longer mandated to provide basic education.

However, De Vera said students already enrolled in the present SHS programs should be allowed to finish high school in the universities and colleges.

Should HEIs want to continue their SHS programs when the current students have graduated from high school, that will be up to the discretion of the schools’ individual Board of Regents.