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Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Cebu City to offer 2-year high school
Starting this June, the Cebu City Schools Division will offer a two-year high school program aimed at reducing the dropout rate in public schools and helping families that can’t afford a four-year secondary education.
The program will only be offered in seven public secondary schools selected as pilot areas. These schools can accommodate up to 1,500 students.
While it is seen to aggravate the problem on the shortage of classrooms and teachers, Joy Augustus Young is confident the program will be effective in encouraging students to at least finish second year high school.
Young, the mayor’s consultant on education, admitted they will face a shortage of classrooms and teachers, but he expects everything to normalize after two years, when the students complete their two-year training.
The City Government will set aside P5 million more for the program, on top of the P30 million the National Government provides annually for the salary of the night high school teachers.
Dropout rate
“We’ve noted a high dropout rate in the first and second year in high school and with this program, we will increase the number of students finishing their first two years. Basically, this is for the students who can’t afford to complete the four years,” Young told reporters yesterday.
Admission to the two-year program will be on a “first come, first served” basis, he said.
Under the program, the students will still be given the same subjects and training in English, Math and Science offered to regular high school students but these will be taught differently, Young explained.
Lessons in English, for example, will focus more on conversational English while Math and Science will focus on the practical application of the lessons.
After their second year, the students will be given a certificate of proficiency.
If they decide to complete the remaining two years in high school, the students may do so either through the distance learning system, or modular instruction, or take the accreditation and equivalency exam.
Students who pass the exam automatically become eligible for college.
“We have a better chance of providing two years of training to more children because many are not willing to sacrifice for four years, especially those who can’t afford it,” Young added.
Pilot areas
Among the those chosen as pilot areas are the high schools in Barangays Talamban, Pardo, Mabolo and some public science high schools.
Since more classrooms will be needed during the day to accommodate the students taking the two-year program, Young expects more students to be transferred to the night high schools.
But he also expects the student-classroom ratio to improve gradually since there will be fewer students enrolled in the four-year program during the day. (LCR)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 4, 2006 issue)
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