A ranking congresswoman lauded Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte for the decision of DepEd to continue the funding of senior high school vouchers for Grade 11 students in SUCs and LCUs this school year and next school year to avoid their displacement and disruption of studies.
Bohol Representative Alexie Tutor, chairperson of the House committee on civil service and professional regulation also thanked DepEd for “respecting the charters of the SUCs and LCUs and giving them time to look for funding for future Grade 11 enrollees who will start SHS in SUCs and LCUs in the school year 2024-2025.”
“The funding for SHS in SUCs and LCUs is running out, these colleges and universities should look for augmentation funds if they choose to continue their SHS programs.”
“As I have asserted in my previous statement on this matter, the issue is about funding, so now that the funding for SHS in SUCs and LCUs is running out, these colleges and universities should look for augmentation funds if they choose to continue their SHS programs as allowed to by their charters,” Tutor added.
The legislator said LCUs can try to source “more budget from their LGU, alumni, and local business community” while SUCs can allocate funds from “self-generated revenue-generating programs. They can push for 2025 subsidies from the national budget.”
“The next school year starts in the third quarter of 2024, so the SUCs and LCUs have just about five to six months to look for funding sources.”
The lady lawmaker noted however that the next school year starts in the third quarter of 2024, so the SUCs and LCUs have just about five to six months to look for funding sources to continue their SHS programs for incoming Grade 11 students.
She expects “only some of the SUCs and LCUs to be financially able to continue offering SHS, but those who can should be able to. The decision is theirs, not CHED’s.”
Tutor said the authority of the SUCs to continue offering SHS comes from Republic Act 8292 and that the CHED role in the governing board of SUCs is limited to the lone seat of CHED, aside from setting and enforcing minimum standards on academic programs.”
She also pointed out that in the charters of local colleges and universities, CHED has no seat in their governing boards, but the local DepEd superintendent is a member of the board.
