MikeLigalig.com

Cebu’s representatives in Congress have co-authored a bill asking the University of the Philippines’ (UP) administration not to close the high school department of the UP Visayas Cebu College (UPVCC).

Rep. Raul del Mar (Cebu City, north district) said they will also help support the budget of the state-run high school in Cebu City, if the reason for the closure is budgetary constraints.

UP president Emerlinda Roman has assured del Mar that she will bring the legislators’ stand on the issue to the UP Board of Regents when the body tackles the closure of UPVCC High School.

She also assured that its close to 300 students will be allowed to finish high school before the secondary level is phased out.

Kabataan party-list Rep. Raymond Pulatino filed Tuesday House Bill. 1569, which del Mar, Rep. Pablo John Garcia (Cebu Province 3rd district) and other Cebuano legislators co-authored.

The bill “urges the UP administration to continue the full and unhampered operations of UP High School in Cebu College to serve poor, but deserving students and the Cebu community as a whole.”

Del Mar said he and another congressmen invited Roman to Congress Tuesday to discuss the matter.

”She assured me that she will consider our position when the matter reaches her office, but she said that it has to be taken up by the Board of Regents so she’s not the only one deciding on this. She also assured that if the decision is to close it, all the students will be allowed to graduate,” he said.

Last year, Roman told local reporters that meager resources and a shortage of teachers prompted them to review proposals to close the high school department.

The UP System, she said, is a tertiary education institution and is supposed to focus only on college programs, continuing education and graduate programs.

While he was happy to hear Roman’s assurance, del Mar said “it is not good enough.”

”We want them to continue the high school program. So I said that if it’s a matter of budgetary problems, the Cebuano legislators will be happy to support their budget. We will always support their budget. We will always support their needs,” he said.

The bill was considered on first reading and was referred to the committee on higher and technical education and the committee on basic education and culture. (PNA)



Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=25006.0