Private schools to boycott CHED program

MANILA, Philippines - The largest association of private schools in the country is spearheading a move to boycott a Commission on Higher Education (CHED) program to set strict criteria  for various types of higher education institutions (HEIs).

The Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU), led by Ateneo de Davao University president Fr. Joel Tabora, wrote to all its member schools to ignore a Feb. 13 CHED memorandum asking HEIs and state universities and colleges to name nominees to a team of assessors that will conduct an institutional sustainability assessment (ISA) check on all schools.

Tabora said that the ISA assessment team was apparently being formed to implement CHED Memorandum Order 46, which sources said laid down “vague” requirements on the faculty, curriculum, learning resources, equipment and facilities as well as research output and linkages.

The CHED memorandum has a “horizontal” category for an institution to be called a college, university or professional institution and a “vertical” category for autonomous HEIs, deregulated HEIs, and regulated HEIs.

CHED chairperson Patricia Licuanan was unavailable for comment yesterday because “she was too busy,” information officer Abby Lesaca said.