Issue:

 Only a small proportion of the total 1,683 Higher Education

Institutions (HEI’s) can be considered as offering very high quality
programs as shown by the number of programs identified as
Center of Excellence (COE’s) and Centers of Development
(COD’s) by the CHED, the number of private HEI’s granted by the
CHED autonomous and deregulated status, and number of HEI’s
obtaining national or international recognition for their
programs. It can be observed that many HEI’s operate programs
within the parameters of the minimum standards only and in
some cases even below the minimum standards.

 Quality of Education has also been a decline in our country’s

global competitiveness. Based on Quacquarelli Symonds (QS)
Top-500 World University only 3 Philippine Universities are
included in the year 2010 while in 2006, there was 4 Philippine
Universities
Challenge:

 There is a need for the Commission to

develop a very good policy environment in
the system of giving incentives to encourage
many HEI’s to pursue many vigorous efforts
towards instituting quality assurance
mechanisms in their institutions. Likewise,
an effective system of sanctions also needs
to be developed to stop the HEI’s in offering
substandard programs.
Issue:

 The performance of graduates in the licensure examinations being

conducted by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) is one
indicator of the quality of graduates of the HEI’s. For the past
several years though, data shows that in a majority of the
programs, the performance of graduates in licensure examinations
has been declining. In effect, this also indicates that the quality
of program offerings of many institutions is deteriorating.

 Low Performance in licensure exams across all disciplines from

38.6 % in 2008 to 36.2 % in 2009. As stated by Van Vankelburg,
“Students entering college courses are poorly prepared in
Mathematics”. Educators Journal’s Report Students nowadays are
getting poorer in Mathematics as shown in the low grades and
passing rates of students even in premier schools
 It cannot be denied that the diminishing
importance we give to education is all too
obvious in the results of national and
international assessment tests of our students,
specifically on the 2003 Trends in International
Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS).

 For years, the teacher education program has

been a continuing concern of Philippine Higher
Education. Data from the Professional Regulation
Commission for the past ten (10) tears show that
the percentage of those who fail the licensure
examinations is larger than that of those who
pass.
Challenge:

 The Commission is faced with the task of

doubling its efforts in updating policies and
standards for each program. For teacher
education, a new curriculum has been
devised. Likewise, the intensive training of
student teachers has been instituted.
Issue:

 Quality assurance mechanism should be

viewed in a holistic rather than piecemeal
basis to bring out the best in the Philippine
higher education.

 Out of the 2,180 HEIs in the country, only

about less than 500 HEIs have accreditation
in AY 2008-2010.
Challenge:

 Among the existing accrediting agencies in the

country, there is a need to review and determine
comparability of their standards, criteria, and
evaluation instruments. It is necessary to
establish uniform systems and processes and set
comparable standards in granting accreditation
status to the program of the HEI’s. Moreover,
public and private accrediting agencies should
not view each other competitively but rather
treat each other as complementary partners.
Issues:

 One of the triple functions of a college or

university is research. However, many HEI’s
have poor research capability and in some
cases there is no research culture. The HEI’s
need to harness their capability in research
along with the improvement in the delivery
of educational services.
Challenge:

 While the Commission has provided incentives

for higher education research, still the research-
based culture in the Philippine HEI’s with a few
exceptions remains elusive. As one Philippine
university professor has succinctly articulated it:
The management of a research culture is a mix
of simple to complex factors and processes which
must be attended to and nurtured by inspiration,
expectations, role definitions, monitoring, and
incentives.
 While there are many factors that relate to the
development and nurturance of a research
culture, the following seem to stand out:
 
 University research agenda that flow to the faculty
 Support of the management that is communicated to
the faculty
 Competence and confidence of the faculty
 Existing organizational structure for research
 Visible incentives for the faculty
 Research-related rituals, practices and tradition
including team research and mentorship
 Credibility of the research manager (Orchave, 2006)
Issue:

 The HEI’s are turning out too many graduates every year,
and aside from the issue of low absorptive capacity of the
labor market, the quality of graduates is also an issue. It
can be observed that there is a mismatch between the
knowledge and skills acquired by the graduates and what
the industry needs.

 According to the labor sector, the skills needed by the

industry but not adequately provided by the academe are
the following:

 Communication skills,
 Technical skills, and
 Numerical skills
 According to studies undertaken by CHED, the
following programs have been considered
oversubscribed as evidenced by the huge
enrolment recorded:
 Business Administration
 Nursing
 Teacher Education
 Information Technology and
 Hotel and Restaurant Management

 While the undersubscribed programs are:

 Science and Technology, and
 Agriculture and Fisheries
Challenge:

 The Philippine government and not only the

Commission have been trying to address this
issue through human resource summits
between the Commission and Department of
Labor in determining the programs with the
highest potential of job market.
Lack of overall Vision, Framework, Plan for
Higher Education
 
 This is evident on the increase of HEIs and
increase of programs in the country.

Location No. of HEIs No. of Programs

Offered

National Scope 2,180 31,257

AY 2009-2010
Region IV-A 275 2,302
(alone)
Inadequacy of facilities and equipment

 Among the 1,792 HEIs (excluding SUC

campuses), only 100 or 5.6 % HEIs can be
assumed to have adequate facilities.

Increasing number of SUC satellite campuses

and increasing programs beyond their
original mandate.

 There are now 110 SUCs in the country while

the SUC campuses are now totaling 388.
Inadequacy of Faculty Credentials

 Teachers bear the responsibility of educating our youth.

Recent data gathered by the Association of Higher
Education Institutions show that majority of the faculty
credentials are inadequate. In year 2008-2009:

Location Doctorate Master’s Baccalaureate

Degree Degree Degree
National 10 % 36 % 54 %
Scope (12,532) (46,346) (70,446)
Region IVA 25% 54% 21%
(alone) (2,053) (4,886) (1,884)
Limited Access to Quality Higher Education

 As evidenced by the low participation rate

and low completion rate caused by
increasing costs and limited student
assistance programs. Out of 100 pupils who
enrolled in Grade 1, only 14 will graduate in
higher education.
Rationalization of Higher Education

 Aligning higher education with national

development goals;
 Developing typology of HEIs;
 Mapping of HEIs and programs;
 Amalgamation of HEIs;
 Moratorium on new HEIs and programs;
 Harmonization of public and private HEIs
(leveling the playing field); and
 Rationalization of credentials
Quality and Standards

 Institutional Quality Assurance Monitoring and

Evaluation (IQuAME) as developmental instrument for
non-accredited HEIs;
 Rigorous and transparent systems for autonomous and
deregulated COEs and CODs;
 Improved and effective Technical Panels;
 More developmental and less prescriptive PSGs;
 Closing of substandard programs and institutions;
 Providing development support and/or incentives to
deserving HEIs; and
 Aligning Philippine HEI curricula and standards with
international benchmarks.
Access to Quality Higher Education

 Improve and expand Government Assistance

to Students and Teachers in Private
Education (GATSPE);
 Expand the Student Financial Assistance
Program (STUFAP) - scholarships, grants-in-
aid, Study-Now-Pay-Later Plan;
 Alternative Learning Systems (ALS);
 Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and
Accreditation Program (ETEEAP); and
 Ladderized Education program (LEP).
Transparency and Accountability

 Transparency of systems and processes;

 Elimination of corrupt and questionable
practices in CHED;
 Elimination of corrupt and questionable
practices in SUCs; and
 Recognition of CHED as a clean and honest
agency.
Organizational Development at CHED

 As a modern, technology-enabled
organization;
 As an efficient, service-oriented,
empowering, happy organization;
 CHED’s physical plant is clean, well-
maintained, attractive and user-friendly and
client-friendly; and
 Relevant and interested in national and
global issues.
 In pursuance of its mandate, the Commission has
undertaken major initiatives in quality
assurance. These initiatives, however, have an
overarching goal: To develop the Philippines as a
regional knowledge center in the Asia Pacific
especially in disciplines where Philippine HEI’s
have a distinctive competitive edge.

 If we work together, we can create an

educational environment capable of generating
and nurturing development that will produce
globally competent individuals who are well
equipped with general knowledge and
intellectual capacities needed by the industry.
  Colinares, Nilo E. and Lydia P. E. dela Rosa
(2011) 21st Century Trends, Issues and Challenges
in Philippine Education. “Challenges and Issues
in RP Higher Education by Commissioner Nenalyn
P. Defensor”: National Book Store, Philippines

 Valdez, Shirley (August 21, 2011) “Higher

Education Institutions: Addressing Current Issues
and Challenges” Retrieved from:
http://www.slideshare.net/shirlyvaldez/address
ing-current-issues-and-challenges-in-he-9079138