Dave Achondo THE idea that many Filipinos would end up taking up high school twice is now a possibility-- “thanks” to the Commission on Higher Education (Ched). Before we get into the sad news, I want to begin with a little survey recently conducted by this country’s leading insurance company showing that only 23 percent of Filipinos were able to finish college due to financial constraints. That is according to Jenny Santos, the director of agencies of Philamlife for South Central Mindanao. The survey was conducted by the company in order to establish a reference point on whether or not Filipinos have financial protection for their future. The result was heartbreaking, but a reality. In education, Santos said that of the 1,000 Filipinos surveyed, only 230 were able to finish college. One of the major factors for the failure of parents to send their children to higher education was lack of finances. This is where this survey became interesting to reead and use as a basis for the Ched on their plans of having all high school students who graduated before 2016 would be sent back to senior high in order for them to be eligible to enter college. This definitely doesn’t count as a bad news, but a sad one, and no matter how many times we complain about it, they seem hell bent in doing so. College dropouts, who graduated from high school during the time of the old 10-year curriculum, now have a timetable for them to go back to school before 2018 or else--they have to repeat and graduate from high school twice. This is where I strongly agree with Misamis Oriental Vice Gov. Joey Pelaez that this move is both “unfair” and “anti-poor” and Ched should not impose the rule on pre-K-12 high school graduates, and should instead wait for them to finish college. It’s not the “old” high school graduates’ fault that they finished high school a long time ago. “Sala ba diay sa bata kon mi-graduate siya sa high school sa da-an nga curriculum, ug sayop ba diay sa college dropout kon dili siya makatungha sa opening sa klasi? Unsa-on kon walay iyang ikagasto?” Pelaez asked. Di ba? Neither is it the family’s fault that they couldn’t afford to send their kids to college. Not everyone has that privilege to graduate from high school, what more from elementary grade, and we can see that clearly all over the country. This Ched rule is dumb and unfair for those who want to pursue their college education and are still trying to raise the money for it. By “those,” I mean those who finished high school before the K-12 program was implemented. Ched is pushing for this even if the K-12 program was introduced only recently. “Previous” students would still need to transition using the “Lifelong Learner Track.” According to Ched, the Lifelong Learner Track aims to give assistance for higher education attainment of students who graduated from high school under the old curriculum before the K-to-12 reform was implemented. They are the ones who graduated from high school before 2016, and who stopped schooling before they could earn a degree, or who may not have gone to college at all. Basically, Ched is saying, “You should graduate or at least be enrolled in College on or before 2018. If not, well, you know what happens. You’ll be reliving your high school days and you get to have two of everything… two batches, two high school diplomas and two yearbooks.” So what was the point of those who celebrated their high school graduation in March 2015, particularly the less fortunate, only to go back for another two years in senior high? It just doesn’t make any sense at all. Remember the old saying that “education is for everyone.” This Ched rule definitely contradicts it, and those who would be affected by this rule would surely think twice in returning to school or be interested in finishing college in the first place especially when some of those graduates are already working to earn enough for their educational expenses later in the future and only to be hit with this move. Ched should seriously try to reconsider as this would affect the less fortunate.