CHED checks on 164 colleges, universities

CEBU – The Commission on Higher Education-7 has started its annual monitoring of all colleges and universities in Central Visayas to ensure that schools are complying with the requirements for “quality higher educational services.”

There are 164 colleges and universities undergoing assessment on the different facets of their existence as provider of higher education in the region.

Efren Sucaldito, CHED-7 education supervisor II who is also the information officer, said that the department focuses however on small institutions to “help them improve their performance since they are just starting.”

“There’s not much problem with big schools because they are complying naman,” he added.

CHED monitors the schools in areas of administration, faculty lineup, library requirements, physical facilities requirements, committee extension program and research, community extension services, instructional standards, linkage with government and non-government organizations, and board performance.

Under administration, CHED-7 checks on the academic qualifications of administrators. Sucaldito said deans must have a master’s degree and must have basically graduated from the course they are handling.

For faculty lineup, CHED requires that teachers must not exceed the 27-unit teaching load requirement. Sucaldito said that beyond the required load, teachers’ productivity and efficiency might suffer.

Instructors must be educationally prepared. By this, Sucaldito said, CHED means instructors must have graduated from a degree that specializes the subject he or she is teaching. Also they must have master’s degree.

Further, Sucaldito said that the problem on lack of qualified faculty members is very common in the region that’s why CHED encourages schools to invest in faculty development. “Teachers should teach subject in line with their field of profession.”

Sucaldito mentioned that CHED offers scholarships to teachers who would like to pursue master’s education but since slots are limited, they can not accommodate all interested parties. Scholarships are also limited to general education masteral programs.

He said they are also encouraging schools to hire practitioners for professional education so students will learn about realities other than just theories.

It is also required that 70 percent of the faculty must have master’s degree while the other 30 percent could be teacher practitioners, Sucaldito added.

Librarians must also have licenses and Master’s Degree in Library Science. Library holdings must have at least 5,000 volumes for every 500 students, and that there should be five books for every subject.

Schools must have functional physical facilities like classrooms, gymnasium, corridors, and laboratories among others.

CHED requires schools to submit research journal compiling significant research outputs, related to their field, by students and faculty.

Once in a while, schools should also conduct outreach activities and projects that would convert researches from theories to application in the community.

Schools must also develop linkages with various organizations in the society, for partnership with them allows further growth and development.

After the assessment, CHED shall accomplish a report including the recommendations and observations of the department.

Sucaldito said that schools are given enough time to comply with the requirements before they provide sanctions.

 It was also learned that 40 percent of schools, mostly small institutions, are non-compliant with the CHED.

“We would like to achieve 100 percent compliance because we promote excellence in higher education,” he added. — Jessica Ann Pareja/MEEV (THE FREEMAN)