CHED closes deficient nursing, maritime schools

MANILA, Philippines –  The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has sent out cease and desist orders (CDOs) to higher education institutions (HEIs) offering courses that do not comply with quality standards and whose graduates fare miserably in licensure examinations.

“We’re already in the process (of taking action against low performing schools). Some schools have already received cease and desist orders. That is ongoing,” Dr. Patricia Licuanan, CHED chair, said in a media forum organized by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) at their head office along Visayas Avenue in Quezon City yesterday.

Licuanan said that they have prioritized HEIs that offer nursing and maritime course programs in their campaign to close down sub-standard schools.

She said CHED is also taking a tougher stance against poor-performing HEIs by setting stricter guidelines as condition for their continued operation.

Licuanan however refused to identify the HEIs issued CDOs.

“We’ll not give out names. There’s no need to mention names,” the CHED chief said when asked if they will make public the list of affected schools to alert parents and students.

She also gave assurance that CHED recognizes the need to stop schools from offering poor quality education amid calls for the government to take action against so-called “diploma mills.”

The call has been repeatedly issued by concerned educators led by former education secretary and now Asian Institute of Management president Edilberto de Jesus.

De Jesus, in a presentation on the state of higher education in the country in a recent higher education forum organized by the Philippine Business for Education, noted that the closure of poor-performing schools would bring about the much-needed reduction in the number of HEIs in the country, now totaling 1,726.

De Jesus said the figure is “unnecessarily high” since other countries, including developed nations in Europe and Asia, have fewer schools.

Licuanan admitted that there is a need to stop more schools from opening certain courses to prevent the “worsening oversupply” of graduates.

Licuanan, under CHED Memorandum No. 32, ordered a moratorium on the opening of new programs in five disciplines – business administration, nursing, teacher education, hotel and restaurant management (HRM), and information technology (IT).

The business administration programs covered by the moratorium are Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Master in Business Administration, and Doctor in Business Administration.

The nursing programs include Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Arts/Master in Nursing, and Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing.

The teacher education programs are Bachelor of Elementary Education, Bachelor of Secondary Education, Master of Arts in Education, Doctor of Education, and Doctor of Philosophy in Education.

The HRM courses are B.S. in HRM, B.S. in Hospitality Management, Master of Science in Hospitality Management/Hotel and Restaurant Management, and Doctor of Hotel and Restaurant Management/Hospitality Management.

IT courses covered by the moratorium are B.S. in IT, Master of Science in IT, Master in IT, and Doctor of IT.

Of the 1,726 HEIs, 203 are public schools – a state university or college, or a local government university or college; while 1,523 are private schools. –Rainier Allan Ronda (The Philippine Star)