Congress probes problems in nursing schools, grads

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines  - Poor performance of nursing schools and unemployment or underemployment of about 74,000 nursing graduates are now being investigated by Congress, according to Rep. Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara the other day.

Angara, who was in Kabankalan City Thursday, said Congress is also investigating the reports on exorbitant fees charged by some hospitals for nursing student trainees.

Angara is the chairman of the House committee on higher education, which is conducting a public hearing on the problems besetting the nursing profession.

Many substandard nursing schools nationwide are now in trouble because the CHED has already ordered the closure of some of these, he said.

The number of unemployed nursing graduates could get bigger as it does not include yet new graduates who just finished college this March, said Angara.

"Aside from the unemployed nursing graduates, there are also thousands of them who are underemployed by landing on jobs where they are supposed to be overqualified," he said. "We have been telling CHED to close substandard schools," said the visiting congressman.

CHED Commissioner Patricia Licuanan has promised to penalize poorly performing nursing colleges and universities, admitting that lax regulations and "a lack of overall vision" allowed the proliferation of such substandard institutions in the past.

Apparently of special concern of CHED is the dwindling quality of nursing schools, which President Benigno Aquino III himself raised to Licuanan upon appointing her to the agency in July 2010.

Nursing is among the "oversubscribed" courses included in a CHED moratorium that bars the opening of new programs. Only existing nursing programs are allowed to continue.

The latest results of the nursing board exams, which showed a declining number of passers, has put to question the quality of nursing schools that have sprouted like mushrooms in the Philippines over the past decade due to high demand for nurses overseas at the time.  (FREEMAN)