A teachers' group yesterday asked the Department of Education to ensure that the public schools can absorb all the learners affected by the discontinuation of the Senior High School Program in state universities and colleges, as well as in local universities and colleges.

The Teachers' Dignity Coalition, along with the Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan, on Thursday sought to extend the K-12 transition period following a revamp by the DepEd of the K-10 Program to decongest the current curriculum by 70 percent.

They said the public schools "must also be able to absorb SHS teachers employed in SUCs and LUCs, without loss of compensation and benefits, otherwise teachers risk economic displacement," the groups said in a joint statement.

"While we understand that SUCs and LUCs are mandated to offer the SHS program only during the K-12 transition period, we fear that mechanically following suit without serious consideration of the drawbacks on education stakeholders will lead to another learning crisis," the groups averred.

They warned that 17,700 students may be affected by the dislocation and hundreds of thousands more by the imminent congestion.

Last year, DepEd launched a revised version of the Kindergarten to Grade 10 K-10 curriculum, which is part of the K-12 program.

It said that reducing the number of K-10 subjects and narrowing the focus of teachers and students would help improve student learning outcomes. It stressed, though, that the K-12 program was not being abolished.

The DepEd had explained that the revised K-10 curriculum would focus on five areas, namely, Language, Reading and Literacy, Mathematics, Makabansa (nationalism), Good Manners and Right Conduct for implementation in phases in the 2024-2025 school year.

The SHS, or Grades 11 to 12, curriculum, on the other hand, remains under review, according to DepEd, to make it more attuned to the needs of Filipino students. The revised SHS curriculum will be unveiled sometime in 2024, DepEd said.

Sought for comment, Commission on Higher Education chairperson Prospero de Vera III said his agency "is ready to sit down with all education stakeholders on this matter to ensure that no student is left behind in their desire to get educated."

In a memorandum dated 18 December 2023, CHEd affirmed its decision to discontinue the SHS program in SUCs and LUCs.

De Vera earlier said that the engagement of SUCs and LUCs in basic education through the SHS was limited to the K-12 transition period from school year 2016-2017 to school year 2020-2021.

"So far, the SUCs/LUCs that have closed their senior high classes, some as early as 2019, have not encountered problems, and no restriction of access to education has been reported to CHEd," De Vera said.