“Ang sinasabi nga namin, wala talagang mag-eenroll sa first year college (in 2016), dahil yung fourth year (high school) mag-eenroll na sila sa Grade 11. Pagdating ng 2017-2018, wala ring enrollment sa first year (college) at wala ring enrollment sa second year,” said Professor Rene Tadle, internal vice president of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Faculty Union in a forum aired on GMA News TV’s “State of the Nation” Thursday.
Under the enhanced basic education program of the Department of Education (DepEd), called K to 12 or Kindergarten plus Grades 1-12, a student will be required to undergo kindergarten, six years of elementary (Grades 1-6), four years of junior high school (Grades 7-10) and two years of senior high school (Grades 11-12).
The implementation of universal kindergarten began in school year 2011-2012, followed by a new curriculum for Grade 7 in school year 2012-2013.
School year 2016-2017 will mark the nationwide implementation of the Grade 11 curriculum, to be followed by the Grade 12 curriculum in school year 2017-2018.
Tadle said that based on their estimates, universities and colleges will lose 500,000 freshman college enrolees and more than 300,000 sophomore college enrolees come the implementation of the senior high school program in 2016.
Flordeliza Abanto, a full-time professor at St. Scholastica’s College in Manila said that as early as now, the school has already announced a mandatory early separation program for its professors in anticipation of the marked decline in enrollment in 2016.
“Ako po ay nasa professional course, majors po yung tinuturuan namin, hindi ho general education, e pati po kami ay mare-retrench. Walang maiiwan na full-time faculty teacher sa isang kolehiyong ito, kami pong lahat matatanggal,” Abanto said.
Another member of the group, Dr. David Michael San Juan of De La Salle University (DLSU) said they may challenge the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) as well as the law institutionalizing the K-12 program before the Supreme Court.
“Tingnan natin yung possibility na pag lumabas yung implementing rules at yung text ng buong batas ay mag-file na tayo ng kaso sa Korte Suprema,” San Juan said.
Republic Act 10533, which institutionalizes the K-12 program, was enacted on May 15, 2013.
GMA News was still trying to reach SSC, UST and DLSU for comment as of posting time.
Meanwhile, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Labor Relations Officer Benjo Benavidez, a lawyer, said no company is allowed to lay off employees in lieu of anticipatory loss as it would be in violation of Article 283 of the Labor Code.
“Nag-set po ang Supreme Court of the Philippines na kung ang loss ay isang haka-haka lamang o pangmatagalan pa, ito po ay hindi puwedeng gawing rason para po magtanggal ng isang empleyado,” Benavidez said.
Benavidez encouraged employees of colleges and univesities who would be laid off because of the K-12 implementation to report their cases to DOLE.
Benavidez also said that DOLE will soon release guidelines to colleges and universities regarding the implementation of the K-12 program. — Elizabeth Marcelo/JDS, GMA News
