Secondary Laboratory School Relocates to New Building on Annex Campus

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Secondary Laboratory School Relocates to New Building on Annex Campus

The Secondary Laboratory School (SLS) of Bukidnon State University (BukSU) has transferred to the Annex Campus in Barangay Casisang starting this 2024-2025 academic year, ending its occupancy in the approximately 50-year-old building on the main campus.

The new SLS campus features a modern, three-story building with spacious classrooms, enhanced security equipment, a gymnasium, a solar power system, and other advanced facilities.

“The new SLS campus provides a conducive environment for high school students, enhanced by upgraded facilities such as computer and science laboratories that enrich their educational experience,” said SLS Department Head Ms. Desiree A. Barroso.

The SLS accommodates 387 junior and senior high school students. Starting this school year, there will be one section per grade level from Grade 7 to Grade 10, as opposed to the previous setup.

The remaining junior high school sections are Grade 7-Humility (phasing out Patience), Grade 8-Joy (phasing out Peace), Grade 9-Love (phasing out Piety), and Grade 10-Hope (phasing out Faith).

Senior high school will maintain its two sections: Grade 11-Integrity and Loyalty, and Grade 12-Charity and Honesty.

“Moving to the annex campus evokes a mix of emotions. We are excited about the new learning environment, but it’s also difficult to part with the building that has been home to our faculty, staff, high school students and practice teachers. The SLS premises hold a treasure trove of memories—moments shared by alumni and learners who walked these halls, pursued their dreams, forged friendships, and created lasting connections. As we embrace this change and the challenges it brings, we carry with us a lifetime of cherished memories that we promise to keep alive,” Barroso added.

The old SLS building will be repurposed into additional classrooms for the college.

CHED Memorandum

Meanwhile, despite a memorandum from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) directing state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local universities and colleges (LUCs) to discontinue their senior high school programs this school year, BukSU is authorized to retain its senior high school program in the SLS, per Board of Regents Resolution No. 2751, Series of 2024.

CHED’s December 18, 2023, memorandum stated that there is no legal basis to fund senior high school programs within SUCs and LUCs beyond the K to 12 transition period, which ended with the 2020-2021 school year.

However, CHED clarified that SUCs with “laboratory schools” are still permitted to offer the basic education program, particularly if these schools serve as training grounds for students pursuing education degrees.

Established in 1974, the SLS serves as an experiential learning hub for pre-service teachers enrolled in the Bachelor of Secondary Education and Bachelor of Physical Education programs.

The memorandum also notes that while SUCs and LUCs with laboratory schools can continue to accept enrollees, they will no longer receive vouchers from the Department of Education.

In the case of BukSU, the funding for the SLS is included in the Special Provisions of the General Appropriations Act 2023, specifically on the Maintenance of Laboratory Schools, for the College of Education.

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