Education

CONGRESS will invoke its oversight powers to stop private schools from unduly increasing tuition at this time of crisis, an official said yesterday.

AFTER 258 colleges and universities announced they would increase their tuition this coming school year, 143 private elementary and high schools are looking to increase their matriculation charges by as much as 15 percent, according to the Federation of Private Schools and Administrators.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) warned private schools yesterday that the agency would use its regulatory powers against schools that will not practice self-restraint in imposing tuition hikes for school year 2009-10.

MANILA, Philippines – Education Secretary Jesli Lapus is confident that private schools will not raise tuition fees too much and cause the exodus of students from private schools to already congested public schools.

MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives warned private schools, colleges and universities yesterday that it will freeze tuition for three years if they increase their fees this year.

MANILA, Philippines – President Arroyo yesterday appealed to private colleges and universities to defer any increase in tuition and other school fees due to the economic difficulties.

This was the call made by the National Union of Students in the Philippines (NUSP) to the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) as the country’s largest consortium of private schools expressed willingness to hold tuition increase for the school year 2009-2010.

Around 3.7 million students are expected to benefit from a no-tuition hike policy adopted by the Commission on Higher Education for the school year 2009-2010, according to Chairman Emmanuel Angeles.

MANILA, Philippines – College educators have expressed their support to a bid by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to lay out a two-year pre-university system, but said that there should also be a discussion of the alternative of putting an additional year or years in the 10-year basic education curriculum (BEC).

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) hopes to increase enrolment of day care children from 1.2 million to 3 million through the electronic learning project which it will implement soon together with two private organizations.

The Philippines today is governed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s social reform and poverty reduction program 2004-2010. Under her are the cabinet secretaries whom she meets weekly. They are represented in the National EFA Committee (NEC), which has been meeting frequently to advocate and transform UNESCO’s Education For All programs into Education for Sustainable Development…

PRESIDENT Arroyo has rejected a proposal from the Commission on Higher Education to add one more year to all college courses, including nursing, but ordered the agency to continue holding consultations on what courses should last five years.

Almost as soon as the Commission on Higher Education posed the question about an added year to college for nursing and education courses—at least for starters—militants (and those putting on airs of militancy) took to the streets hooting their outrage at what they claim is a travesty of their rights. In what that travesty consists,…

A senior administration lawmaker yesterday called on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Department of Education (DepEd) to provide children of displaced workers access to school grants that can be used to pay their tuition, even if only in part.

An additional year for college courses will not mean extra cost to students, but will give them time to prepare for life after graduation, chairman Emmanuel Angeles of the Commission on Higher Education said yesterday.

It has become common wisdom to say that our basic education cycle is too short. Only Botswana and the Philippines have 10-year basic education cycles; every other country has more. There is no question that we have to add years to the cycle.

The problem: The quality of college education keeps declining. The solution, according to the Commission on Higher Education: Keep students in college for an extra year.

Lapuz says education can prove to be most effective in achieving peace and development in areas of conflict.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) has asked the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) to first explain the rationale behind its plan to implement a mandatory five-year college course for all students in the country, before its implementation.

One hundred thirteen middle level managers of the Department of Education (DepEd) had undergone management and leadership training with the Meralco Management and Leadership Development Center (MMLDC) funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).

The Commission on Higher Education (Ched) announced yesterday that starting next school year, courses such as engineering, architecture, nursing and accounting will be a five-year college course.

When will our Congressmen start doing something right? When will they do something that will convince us that they truly represent our best interests and not just their own?

In a move to steer students away from substandard schools and so-called “diploma mills,” the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), in partnership with the Professional Regulation Commission, will publish the performance of colleges and universities in PRC licensure examinations.

The National Book Development Board (NBDB) said it is not empowered by law to regulate the quality of textbooks used in public schools.

Secretary Jesli Lapus spearheaded the Department of Education’s thrust to improve the competency of public school students in English, Math and Science in 2008 and the training of school principals, regional directors, division superintendents and academic supervisors to turn them into good managers.

Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairman Dr. Emmanuel Angeles III is not worrying over the reported cut on the budget of some 21 state universities and colleges (SUCs) made by the Senate, saying any such move would still be decided in the bicameral budget committee.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) forged an agreement with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) for a moratorium on the establishment of new universities and colleges by local government units.

Educators and information communications technology policy-makers gathered recently at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City for the third National ICT in Basic Education Congress.

A few weeks ago, at the sidelines of an education forum we were both attending, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus told me that education is arguably the best investment the country can make with the most promising payback within a short period of time. On this basis, the education chief asked how come we are not…

Last week, an article at the New York Times reports efforts of Harvard to attract more low- and middle-income students by extending breaks for low-income parents. Harvard isn’t alone in trying to improve the social demographics of its student body. There are similar programs in Princeton, MIT, Stanford and Yale, among other Ivy League schools.…