CHED imposes moratorium on new courses

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has imposed a moratorium on the opening of new course programs in Business Administration, Nursing, Teacher Education, Hotel and Restaurant Management, and Information Technology.

The moratorium, implemented by virtue of CHED Memorandum Order 32 issued last month, effectively stops colleges and universities throughout the country from opening the courses in their respective schools.

Dr. Patricia Licuanan, CHED chairman, said that the moratorium covers undergraduate and graduate course offerings in those areas.

Licuanan said there was a need to stop more schools from opening the courses to prevent a worsening “oversupply” of graduates in those fields.

She added that allowing schools to open such courses has also caused some problems on the quality of their curriculum.

“There’s just so many programs in these areas. And basically, there’s an oversupply of people,” Licuanan told The STAR.

“Essentially, it’s just a moratorium. We are trying to rationalize things, encourage undersubscribed programs and discourage oversubscribed programs,” Licuanan added.

The Business Administration programs covered by the moratorium are Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Master in Business Administration, and Doctor in Business Administration.

The Nursing programs include Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Arts/Master in Nursing, and Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing.

The Teacher Education programs covered are Bachelor of Elementary Education, Bachelor of Secondary Education, Master of Arts in Education, Doctor of Education, and Doctor of Philosophy in Education.

The HRM courses covered are B. S. in HRM, B.S. in Hospitality Management, Master of Science in Hospitality Management/Hotel and Restaurant Management, and Doctor of Hotel and Restaurant Management/Hospitality Management.

IT courses covered are B.S. in IT, Master of Science in IT, Master in IT, and Doctor of IT.