Guidelines for Senior High School (SHS) Program Implementation of Local Universities and Colleges

October 27, 2015

CHED MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 033-15

 

Pursuant to the pertinent provisions of Republic Act 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, and consistent with the mandate of the Commission on Higher Education therein stated, to work closely with the Department of Education (DepEd) to formulate strategies and mechanisms to ensure the smooth transition to K to 12, as well as toimplement strategies that ensure the academic, physical, financial, and human resource capabilities of HEIs and TVIs to provide educational and training services for graduates of the enhanced basic education program to ensure that they are not adversely affected, the Commission hereby issues guidelines for the participation of Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs) in the upcoming full implementation of Grades 11 and 12 of Senior High School (SHS) beginning School Year (SY) 2016-2017. AScHCD

A. Statement of Policies and Principles

1. Republic Act 10533 provides that "DepEd shall engage in partnerships with HEIs . . . for the utilization of the latter's human and physical resources." The transition to the K to 12 system, which will result in low enrollment in said HEIs from SY 2016-2017 to SY 2020-2021, thus provides the impetus for LUCs to support K to 12 implementation by providing SHS in areas where such supply is insufficient, and in the interest of utilizing available manpower and infrastructure from LUCs.

2. Said engagement shall be guided by the policies on K to 12 enunciated by DepEd and CHED. This is in keeping with the mandate for Local Government Units to "establish and provide for the operation of vocational and technical schools and similar post-secondary institutions", without prejudice to the prioritization given to private basic and higher education institutions to acquire permits for SHS, in order to ensure "the sustainability of the private and public educational institutions, and the promotion and protection of the rights, interests and welfare of teaching and nonteaching personnel" (Sec. 31), as stipulated under the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 10533.

3. Further, while "pursuant to the provisions of Article III Sections 447, 458 and 468 of the Local Government Code (Republic Act 7160), local government units may establish and provide for operation of a vocational and technical school and similar post secondary institution subject to availability of funds, and existing laws, rules and regulations," 1 Local Universities and Colleges continue to fall under the jurisdiction of the Commission on Higher Education, as provided under Republic Act 7722, which provides the Commission with the authority to rationalize programs and review charters of all institutions of higher learning, whether new or existing. 2

4. Reiterating CHED Memorandum Order No. 32, S. 2006 or the "Policies, Standards and Guidelines on the Establishment and Operation of Local Universities and Colleges," "while the creation of Local Colleges and Universities (LCUs) within the Local Government Unit concerned provides access and equitable distribution of opportunities for Filipinos to acquire higher education, there is a need to rationalize the creation or establishment of higher education institutions to address quality and excellence in the areas of school administration, facilities, library and laboratories, curriculum and instruction, research and community service, and faculty and no-teaching personnel development programs."

5. Consistent with the above policy, and parallel to CHED Memorandum Order No. 32, Series of 2015, earlier issued for State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and their engagement in Senior High School, in the interest of ensuring quality of education to be provided by said Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs) in offering Senior High School, the Commission on Higher Education sets the following guidelines to govern their application.

B. Parameters for Engagement of LUCs in SHS

While DepEd has the sole authority to grant permits for SHS as provided under RA 10533, CHED shall assist in facilitating the receipt of provisional applications, as well as the vetting, shortlisting, and recommendation of LUCs to DepEd for final approval.

Similar to the policy for State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), engagement of LUCs in SHS shall be based on the following criteria: (1) the need for additional providers of SHS in their municipality/locality, (2) the historical mandates and institutional strengths of the concerned LUCs, and (3) the number of students it has the capacity to take in, based on regular enrolment.

1. CHED recognition for LUCs. Only LUCs that meet the following criteria shall be endorsed to DepEd:

• Have been issued or have ongoing applications for official CHED recognition;

• Have a Certificate of Program Compliance (COPC), or an ongoing application, in the program relevant to the SHS track or strand they are applying for, except for the Technical-Vocational-Livelihood courses; and

• Required facilities to offer said programs.

 LUCs without CHED recognition that intend to apply for SHS permits are directed to the CHED Regional Offices to apply for said permit, as governed under CMO No. 32, S. 2006. Thereby, CHED Regional Offices shall put in place a "Green Lane" for applications for (1) CHED Recognition, and (2) Certificate of Program Compliance, from October 28 to November 4, 2015, to facilitate their applications.

 Further, CHED Regional Directors are hereby authorized to issue Certifications of Applications that LUCs may attach to their Provisional Application for SHS Permits.

2. School years of operation. As the LUCs are created and mandated primarily to provide technical-vocational and other similar post-secondary programs, their engagement in basic education through Senior High School shall be limited to the K to 12 transition period only, from SY 2016-2017 to 2020-2021.

3. SHS Curriculum or tracks or strands to be offered. In order to rationalize the programs to be offered by LUCs, consistent with their mandate, program offerings of LUCs shall be governed by the following guidelines:

a. Technical-Vocational-Livelihood (TVL) Track. Since LUCs were established to provide vocational-technical and similar post-secondary education programs, applications for said track, shall be recommended.

b. Other strands and tracks. For Academic Strands, namely, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS), and Accounting, Business and Management (ABM), as well as Arts and Design, and Sports, LUCs will only be allowed to offer if they have been issued COPCs or have ongoing applications in the relevant programs, and when the available supply is inadequate to meet demand, as to be determined by DepEd. Similar to the policy on SUCs, applications will be considered by CHED vis-a-vis the mapping and assessment conducted by PIDS, before endorsement to DepEd. AcICHD

4. Seat Capacity. Seat capacity shall be guided by: (1) number of seats lacking within the municipality or division, the demand for which cannot be provided by other Non-DepEd schools, and (2) average freshman enrolment in the relevant programs related to the track or strand being applied for, but not exceeding their average enrolment (for the Grade 11 cohort). Provided, that it has enough seats, faculty, and facilities to take in students, without incurring any additional expense.

5. Proposed tuition and other school fees. Republic Act 10533 states that "Secondary education refers to the third stage of compulsory basic education. It consists of four (4) years of junior high school education and two (2) years of senior high school education. The entrant age to the junior and senior high school levels are typically twelve (12) and sixteen (16) years old, respectively." As such, SHS shall be the responsibility of the State, particularly in DepEd schools, and including public higher education institutions. Therefore, consistent with the policy for SUCs, similarly, LUCs are hereby prohibited from charging tuition and other fees to cover the cost of education for Grades 11 and 12 during the Transition Period beyond the amount of the vouchers authorized by DepEd, as provided under DepEd Order Nos. 11 and 46, Series of 2015, which allows SUCs and LUCs to redeem 50% of the voucher value, depending on whether they are in the National Capital Region, Non-NCR Highly Urbanized Cities (HUCs) and Non-HUCs outside NCR.

6. LUCs with Provisional Permits from DepEd. Those that have already submitted their applications or have been issued provisional permits by DepEd, or are Early Adopters, are instructed to conform to the guidelines set in this Memorandum.

C. Facilitation of LUC Applications for SHS Permits

For LUCs that have not yet applied for SHS permits from DepEd, the following guidelines for provisional application are hereby issued:

November 4, 2015	Deadline for LUCs to submit to CHED the following:
	[ ]	Provisional Application for SHS (Attachment 1)
	[ ]	Certificate of CHED Recognition or ongoing application; and
	[ ]	Certificate of Program Compliance (COPC) in related program
November 4-6, 2015	Processing and vetting of applications by CHED
November 6, 2015	Submission of recommendation to DepEd for final approval
November 27, 2015	Deadline for all LUCs endorsed by CHED, and given provisional
	permits by DepEd, to formalize applications with DepEd by
	submitting all documentary requirements (Attachment 2)

Note the following:

• Since applications will be matched by CHED against (1) required seats in locality based on PIDS mapping and (2) capacity of LUC as defined above, CHED endorsement of shortlisted LUCs, and the provisional permits to be issued by DepEd, may differ from their application;

• Given the variance in the quality of their main campuses and satellite campuses, if any, interested LUCs shall be required to make separate applications and board resolutions approved by the Chairperson of the Board, by campus;  

• In the exigency of service, beyond the dates identified herein, should additional provision of SHS tracks or strands be further required to ensure adequacy of supply for incoming SHS students, selected LUCs may be requested to offer and provide SHS by the Commission.

This order shall take effect immediately. All local universities and colleges are instructed to follow the guidelines herein accordingly.

Issued this 27th day of October 2015.

For the Commission:

(SGD.) PATRICIA B. LICUANAN, Ph.D.Chairperson

ATTACHMENT

Provisional Application for Senior High School Permit[email protected])

Hon. Patricia B. Licuanan, Ph.D.Chairperson

Dear Chairperson Licuanan:

In line with the Commission on Higher Education's coordination with Department of Education in facilitating the application of Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs), we would like to formally express our interest and apply for Senior High School (SHS) permits from School Year ___________ to ____________.

Particularly, we would like to request for permits to offer the following tracks or strands:

Proposed Tracks/Strands	Number of Students
___________________________	___________________________
___________________________	___________________________
___________________________	___________________________
___________________________	___________________________
___________________________	___________________________

Note: If TVL, kindly indicate specific program

Total number of students proposed: _________

I hereby certify and understand that in line with the CHED Memorandum issued on October 26, 2015 setting the guidelines for SHS implementation of LUCs, that: TAIaHE

• The tracks and strands we are applying for is consistent with our mandate;

• We currently offer related program areas and/or have the faculty for said subjects;

• We are prohibited from charging additional tuition and other fees beyond those provided by the DepEd through its voucher program;

• The provisional applications we submit to CHED may differ from what is recommended to DepEd, and to the permit that may be issued by the same; and

• Following this provisional application and granting of provisional permit, that we will still be required to formalize our application with DepEd by November 27, 2015.

I am also attaching the relevant certification/s for our existing or ongoing applications (as certified by the CHED Regional Director) for (1) CHED Recognition and (2) Certificates of Program Compliance (COPC), as required by the Commission.

 

Signed:	________________________________	Date: _____________
	Name & Signature of LUC President
	________________________________
	LUC

(Template for CHED Regional Offices)

CERTIFICATE OF APPLICATION

This is to hereby certify that __________________________________________ has expressed their intent and has submitted their provisional application to our Regional Office for CHED Recognition and/or Certificate of Program Compliance (COPC) in the following programs:

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

For the Commission:

Signed: _______________________ Date: __________

Name: ________________________

Regional Director, Region _________

Footnotes

1. CHED Memorandum Order No. 04, S. 2007.

2. Republic Act 7722 or "The Higher Education Act of 1994".