The Junior Association of Local Colleges and Universities (Jr. ALCU) and the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines (SCAP) calls upon the Department of Education (DepEd) 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗗) 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗞-𝟭𝟮 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗱.

This is in response to the CHED Memorandum No. 241 Series of 2023 which mandates the discontinuance of Senior High Schools (SHS) in State and Local Universities and Colleges.

DepEd reported that the country was short of 159,000 classrooms as of Academic Year 2023 – 2024. With this overwhelming shortage, the 17,700 current Grade 11 students who will be displaced will have nowhere to go to continue their education. This will lead to an increase in dropouts depriving our Filipino youth their basic right to education.

We stress the absolute necessity for just and effective transition for this, to ensure that the affected students will not be left behind. It is important that the government provides detailed strategies on how it intends to support students transitioning from LUCs to Public Schools, ensuring their continued access to laboratories, facilities, and quality environment needed for specific strands and tracks that the SUCs and LUCs cater to.

DepEd should address the perennial and emerging issues of the current education crisis first to prevent the continued downward spiral of Philippine access to quality education.

Tertiary and secondary students should not compete for who gets access to education. The Philippine government should allocate the P60-billion to building classrooms instead of the proposed mandatory ROTC to ensure no student is left behind.

While the capacity of secondary schools cannot even cater the current enrolled secondary students, Jr. ALCU and SCAP urges CHED to extend the transition period of the K-12 program and allow senior high school students to enroll in SUCs and LUCs.

SCAP is the largest federation of student councils, organizations, political parties, and leaders in the country that organize and train students to be frontliners in championing key reforms in the education sector.

Junior ALCU is the alliance of all student councils and leaders of local colleges and universities across the Philippines providing a platform for enhancing student leadership, establishing harmonious relationships, championing students’ rights and welfare, and promoting camaraderie among all LUCs.

Junior ALCU Philippines
Student Council Alliance of the Philippines

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