DepEd 7 Exec Urges Public Schools to Tie up with Private Schools for Senior High

An official of the Department of Education (DepEd) has urged public schools in Cebu that lack facilities or teachers to offer Grade 11 to 12 to tie up with private schools.

Marcial Degamo, DepEd 7 officer-in-charge, said these new grade levels, also known as the senior high school, won’t be offered until next school year, 2016-2017.

Degamo said preparations for Grade 11 have started, especially the training of teachers and construction of classrooms.

When the school year opens next week, it will be the fourth year since the country began to implement the K to 12 program. Grades 4 and 10 will already use the new curriculum.

Tie-ups between public and private schools, including the University of San Carlos (USC) and the University of the Visayas (UV), are being explored to make sure there are enough teachers, classrooms and other facilities when the new senior high levels begin.

Dr. Nerissa Lopez, dean of UV’s College of Education and director of the university’s Basic Education department, said they are already applying for a provisional permit to offer senior high school.

Lopez said they plan to offer academic, TechVoc and Arts and Design tracks to Grade 11 students.

Fr. Felino Javines Jr., vice president for academic affairs and the Basic Education Department for USC, said they were working on an agreement with another private school to offer Grade 11 to their students.

Javines added they are coordinating with the Cebu City Schools Division regarding a possible tie-up with some public schools.

The DepEd 7, Degamo said, is set to hire around 2,000 teachers, majority of them going to Cebu Province.

The National Government has also allocated around PHP2 billion for new classrooms for Grade 11. (PNA) FFC/EB/EDS