AMID THREATS OF CLOSURE: UP high school still accepts enrollees for June classes

CEBU, Philippines - The University of the Philippines High School continues to be open and operational amid the recurring threat by some officials of University of the Philippines Visayas Cebu College (UPVCC) to close its high school department, said a school official.

Purita Baltazar, principal of the UP High School, however, said that for the school year 2010-2011, they have only accepted 40 enrollees who are incoming freshmen students.

She explained that the 40 new enrollees will compose only one section, compared to last year when there were three sections composed of 30 students each section.

It was reported earlier that UPVCC planned to suspend the acceptance of applicants for UP Cebu’s High School Admission Test (HSAT) on March 6, 2010 pending the resolution of the proposal to “phase out the high school gradually” as per a memorandum dated January 14, 2010, and a letter from Dean Enrique Avila to UP President Emerlinda Roman dated January 8, 2010.

“Gipa-open man, wala pa man gyud proposal na nasaka (in UP system),” Baltazar said, adding that the whole high school department has only 230 students enrolled as at present.

But she added that the downsizing of the students is still an indication of the gradual closure of UP High School.

The Commission Higher Education (CHED) has an existing order No. 4 s. 1996 titled “Phase-down of secondary programs to a maximum of 500 students of the non-chartered public higher education institutions offering teacher education programs effective SY 1996-1997.”

Baltazar said the downsizing resulted to the reduction of enrollees in UP High School in Cebu, which explained why there were only 250 students in the last school year.

Last January 14, Avila issued a memorandum No. EMA -2010-013 which states that UP can no longer sustain ably the implementation of the high school because UP can no longer adequately supply the required faculty.

“With this in mind, you are enjoined to suspend the acceptance of applicants for the proposed High School Admission test (HSAT) to be administered on March 6 pending the resolution of the proposal to phase out the high school gradually,” the memorandum reads.

 In addition, to CHED’s  order to downsize, the UP  administration has also cited the lack of funding and supposed irrelevance and non-performance of the secondary program as valid grounds for the eventual closure of UP high school in Cebu.

The FREEMAN tried to get the side of Avila on the recent development but he was not available for interview.   (FREEMAN NEWS)