DepEd wants programs tailored for senior HS

MANILA, Philippines - Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Armin Luistro is urging private schools outside Manila to develop programs for senior high schools based on the needs of their localities.

Senior high school will be implemented nationwide beginning school year 2016-2017. Around one million students will enter senior high school by 2016.

“You will notice that in the past, if you review programs, both high school and tertiary, of both public and private schools, we’ve had the phenomenon of graduates of various programs and careers moving to the big cities. And therefore cutting them off from the very schools and communities where they studied,” Luistro said.

Republic Act 10533, or the K to 12 Basic Education Program law, adds two years to the four-year high school curriculum.

The additional years will serve as a specialization period for senior high school students, whether in vocational skills, music, arts or sports.

Luistro said courses to be offered for senior high school students must be rooted in the needs of their respective communities in order to allow graduates to work in their native town or province.

The education chief explained that revolutionizing education by creating programs that answer the needs of the community will open venues to sustainable jobs for alumni.

“Come up with relevant programs that will allow your graduates to work in the very city where they were born,” said Luistro.

He added that schools can help in their respective communities by providing their graduates skills that are in demand in their respective areas.

“It will be a challenge that is worth the while of institutions that truly wish to anchor their offerings to the needs of a locality,” Luistro said.

DepEd recently issued guidelines for private schools who wish to put up a senior high school program. The agency is also offering subsidies – amounting to P6,500 – for senior high school students who want to enroll in private schools.