CHED closes down Pampanga university

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has ordered a private university in Dau, Pampanga to stop operating for failing to secure a permit from the agency.

Dr. Roger Perez, CHED executive director, said the "cease and desist order" was issued against Central Luzon Professional College (CLFC). The school opened in 1999 without permit from CHED.

"We are closely monitoring illegal schools. Students are robbed not only of money but also of precious time that they spend in these schools," he noted.

Dr. Remigia Nathanielsz, CHED director for Central Luzon, said the commission learned of the illegal operation of the school last year.

"We asked them to explain and comply with the requirements. But after they failed to do so, we ordered the school to stop its operations last November. We observed due process," she added.

The CHED thought that CLFC had complied with the order when it closed down its premises sometime this year. The commission, however, learned recently that CLFC just moved to other place when a concerned student inquired about the status of the school.

CLFC offers courses in Accountancy, Education, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Geodetic Engineering and Business Management. But apparently due to the controversy, its student population for this school year reached only 60.

CHED has urged CLFC students to file charges of fraud and violation of Education Act of 1992 against the school. — Sheila Crisostomo