Economic crisis and Covid bury Philippine Catholic schools
After more than 30 years of operation, Colegio De San Lorenzo in Quezon City closes. More than 85 percent of the 865 private schools that suspended classes were run or founded by Catholics. The shutdown affected 58,327 students and 4,488 teachers. In the 2020-21 academic year, more than 250,000 students moved from private to public institutions.
Manila (AsiaNews) - After more than 30 years of operation, the Colegio De San Lorenzo, a private Catholic school founded in 1987 in Quezon City, has announced the permanent suspension of all activities due to the severe financial crisis faced by the institution, exacerbated by Covid. "With a sad heart," the management explained in a note, "we wish to inform you that due to economic instability and with no prospect of funding on the horizon even for the pandemic [...] the Board of Trustees has made the harsh decision to close the institution permanently."
The meager number of enrollments for the 2022-23 school year, officials explain, makes it "difficult to continue operating," and those who have already paid fees will receive a full refund. Pupils will then be eligible for assistance in enrolling in other institutions, including those who will have to start their first year of college.
Colegio De San Lorenzo is a Catholic institution founded by Cirilo Lloyd Balgan and Annette Balgan. Among the school's guiding principles was to "respond to the Church's call for greater participation and involvement of the laity in the educational apostolate." Students were provided with a comprehensive education that went beyond just the notional realm, for a formation that also embraced the spiritual realm inspired by St. Lorenzo Ruiz De Manila and "living their way in the service of God."
The closure of the Quezon City institution dates back to August 15 and mirrors a more overall crisis affecting Catholic schools in the Philippines, data from the Department of Education show. In fact, more than 85 percent (about 700) of the 865 private schools - out of a total of 14,000 - that closed in the last period across the country were run or founded by Catholics. A crisis that is primarily financial and aggravated by the pandemic emergency that has drastically decreased available funds.
The closures affected 58,327 students and 4,488 teachers.
Dating back to 2020, the first year of the health (as well as economic and social) crisis triggered by the new coronavirus, was the end of operations at Holy Spirit School in Manila, an institution with a remarkable 109-year history behind it. In the past two years, experts explain, a conspicuous number of students from private schools have chosen to transfer to the public: "According to our data," emphasizes Education Minister Leonor Briones, "before the start of the 2020-2021 academic year, an estimated 250,539 students have transferred from private institutions to public schools.
The sudden closure of the Colegio De San Lorenzo is is not without controversy with some critical voices say failed to provide due notice, acting in a manner deemed "arbitrary." The Higher Education Commission (CHEd) has opened a file on the issue, with its president Prospero de Vera speaking of "potential violations" in the process followed.
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