FEB.

9, 2015

NR # 3737B

Appropriations Committee approves bill creating a senior high school

for each legislative district
The House Committee on Appropriations has approved a proposal to establish a
senior high school for each of the countrys legislative districts and appropriating funds
thereof, in pursuance of the implementation of the K-12 Enhanced Basic Education
program of the government.
The committee chaired by Rep. Isidro T. Ungab (3rd District, Davao City) approved
the unnumbered bill, which substituted House Bill 3399, authored by Rep. Edgar R. Erice
(2nd District, Caloocan City). The substitute bill was earlier approved by the Committee on
Basic Education chaired by Rep. Kimi S. Cojuangco.
Erice said his proposal seeks to provide an instrument to fulfill the vision embodied
in Republic Act 10533, otherwise known as the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013,
of providing Filipino citizens an educational system at par with international standards
like the Bologna Process for the European Union and the Washington Accord for the
United States.
He said this could be achieved by providing for the construction and establishment
of senior high schools in all legislative districts of the country. Within the walls of these
senior high schools, young Filipinos would gain two years of specialized upper secondary
education, based on their aptitude and interests, and the capacity of the school that would
allow them to have middle-level skills and offer them better opportunities to be gainfully
employed or become entrepreneurs, said Erice.
The lawmaker explained that the first batch of junior high school students under the
K to12 Program is scheduled to graduate in the summer of 2016. He said Education
Secretary Armin Luistro expects these graduates from public schools alone to reach one
million.
There would therefore be more than one million students under the K to 12
Program who would need the specialized classrooms of the proposed senior high schools,
said Erice, a vice chairman of the Committees on Public Works and Highways, and on
Suffrage and Electoral Reforms.
Assuming that there would be 45 students per classroom, then the government
needs to build at least 22,000 classrooms in time for school year 2016 to 2017, and an
additional 22,000 for school year 2017 to 2018 according to Erice.

During the hearing, Rep. Jonathan A. Dela Cruz (Party-list, Abakada) asked Erice
how much would be needed to construct one senior high school building per legislative
district. Erice said that for a school building with 20 classrooms, it would entail a budget
of about P40 million.
Dela Cruz said aside from the construction cost, an additional P10 million to P20
million would be needed by each of the legislative districts for the maintenance of the
senior high school building and payment of teachers.
The K to 12 Program covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six
years of primary education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior
High School) to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop
lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills
development, employment, and entrepreneurship.
The substitute bill provides there shall be established, under the control and
supervision of DepEd, a senior high school for each of the legislative districts in the
country. The establishment of a senior high school means, either expanding the existing
high school to include the senior high school, or establishing a stand-alone senior high
school.
Moreover, consistent with Rule IV, Sec. 15 of the Implementing Rules and
Regulations of RA 10533, the DepEd shall authorize and regulate the offering of senior
high school in private educational institutions. It shall also prescribe the guidelines on the
issuance and revocation of permits and/or recognition of senior high schools.
The bill also provides that the courses to be offered by the senior high schools shall
be in accordance with the Enhanced Basic Education Curriculum formulated and designed
by the DepEd in pursuance of Section 5 of RA 10533 and in coordination with the
Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA), and other concerned national government agencies and stakeholders.
Lastly, it provides the amount needed for the implementation of the Act shall be
charged against the current years appropriation of the DepEd, and thereafter shall be
included in the General Appropriations Act (GAA). (30) rbb