New CHED Chairperson Patrcia B. Licuanan meets school heads of HEIs in Region VI
By: Dr. Raul F. Muyong
The new Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Dr. Patricia B. Licuanan, meet with the school heads of the public and private Higher Education Institutions of Region VI during the consultative conference held at the Iloilo Grand Hotel on September 17, 2010.
The conference was spearheaded by CHED Region VI under the leadership of Dr. Virginia P. Resurreccion, Director IV. The conference was conducted with the following objectives: (1) To update higher education institutions (HEIs) of the different programs and priorities of the new CHED Chairperson; and (2) To discuss issues, concerns and problems encountered by the higher education institutions.
In her speech, Dr. Licuaunan presented her priority areas for the first 100 days of her term. The following are her priority Key Result Areas:
1. Rationalization
• The need to have rational typology. Not all HEIs should aspire to became University
• Tackling the huge number of almost 2000 public and private HEIs, proliferation of State
Universities and Colleges campuses and increasing number of Local Colleges and Universities
• Level the playing field between public and private HEIs
• Improve employment of graduates (jobs, tech-voc-college)
2. Quality and Standards
• Proliferation of sub-standard and oversubscribed programs
• Review the policies, and the implementation Rules and Regulations and the criteria in the identification of centers of excellence and centers of development, granting of autonomous and deregulated institutions, university status and categorization of HEIs using the IQUAME instrument
3. Access
• Opening of new local colleges and universities (LCUs) may offer access to higher education and this is good but establishment and operation of LCUs must be rationalized
• Promote and disseminate widely Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP) giving credits to prior learning and experiences
4. Effectiveness and Transparency at CHED
• Effect change at CHED by doing much more to counter act the perception of some people in the academe in CHED who are sleeping on the job and are doing bad image to CHED
• Role modeling as strategy shall be her way and can’t tolerate corruption in the job
Dr. Licuanan emphasized that with her as Chairperson, the role of CHED will be more developmental; provide technical support to HEIs; consultative; less regulatory; and less prescriptive. She also emphasized that she is advocating President Benigno C. Aquino 3rd’s campaign platform of Change and his present motto of “kung walang corrupt walang mahirap”.
After her talk, an open forum followed. Questions on different issues were raised mostly by SUC Presidents. All issues raised were clearly answered by her.
The Chairperson thanked the participants for their presence and unselfish contribution they have made vis-a-vis the issues presented. She opened to the group that this is just the beginning of continuous cooperation, coordination and collaboration as partners for empowering quality higher education sector. (rfm)