CHED's de Vera: I did not stop K-to-12 in SUCs

Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairman J. Prospero de Vera III clarified that he did not order a stop to the K-to-12 Program in state universities and colleges.

In a public briefing on Saturday, de Vera said that his memorandum allowed state universities and colleges that were at full capacity to forego senior high school programs.

“Nagsabi ang [Department of Education na] wala nang voucher. That's why I issued another memorandum telling the [SUC] presidents, 'Go to your boards now because there is no more voucher. There is no more legal basis for you to have Senior High,'” he explained.

(The Department of Education said that there were no more vouchers. That's why I issued another memorandum telling the SUC presidents, "Go to your boards now because there is no more voucher. There is no more legal basis for you to have Senior High.")

He further stated that since the DepEd pulled the funding for SHS programs in SUCs, the said colleges had no more capacity or funds to run said programs.

Despite this, there were still some SUCs that decided to run the programs using their budgets for existing students.

The vouchers for SHS students were eventually reinstated by the DepEd, which resolved the issue.

“You cannot charge tuition because the constitution says elementary and high school are compulsory and free. You cannot charge public high schools. Free public universities are also free, so you cannot charge them as a University. You cannot charge them also for high school, where will you get the money to pay for teachers, for the facilities, for the education, and materials of students?” he said.

“DepEd decided to continue the voucher program for [Grade] 11 and 12, so meron ng pagkukunan ng pera… Yung ibang SUCs even before the announcement of DepEd already said, 'We will use our own money para mapag-graduate yung mga bata kasi tinanggap na namin sila,'” added de Vera.

(DepEd decided to continue the voucher program for Grade 11 and 12, so there's a fund now... The other SUCs. even before the announcement of DepEd already said, "We would use our own money so the children can graduate since we've accepted them already.")

He reiterated that there were no instructions to kick out existing SHS students and that SUCs who have accepted them must see to the end of their SHS education.

Meanwhile, CHED would study the possibility of SUCs implementing specific SHS programs as feeder schools.

“Wala pang legal basis yan pero pinag-aaralan natin paano ba gagawin yan for interested schools, but that is something that we have to sit down and I told the House Committee when I was there this is something that we can talk about. We 're open to talking about it, but the SUCs must be the one to say it,” he said.

(There's no legal basis for that but we're studying how to implement this for interested schools. But that is something that we have to sit down and I told the House Committee when I was there this is something that we can talk about. We 're open to talking about it, but the SUCs must be the one to say it.) — DVM, GMA Integrated News