PRC sounds alert on low performing nursing schools

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said that it has been alerted by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) of some 253 “low performing” nursing schools in the country based on their graduates’ performance in the PRC nursing licensure examinations for 2009.

Emmanuel Angeles, CHED chairman, said that they have noted the 2009 nursing licensure exam results and will incorporate this into the data they are gathering on PRC licensure exam results of previous years as they pursue an effort to identify nursing schools that has to phase out their nursing programs due to poor quality.

The 253 “low-performing” nursing schools were adjudged as such from their graduates’ passing percentage in the 2009 licensure exams wherein it should register above the national passing average rate of 40.70 percent.

The data coming from PRC-Educational Statistics Task Force show that these schools ranked less than 40.70% in the licensure examinations administered by the PRC last June and November 2009.

In Metro Manila alone, 48 nursing schools were identified to be among the low-performing nursing schools. A more complete list of low-performing nursing schools per region could be viewed at the PRC website www.prc.gov.ph

According to Angeles, their initiative of monitoring PRC licensure exam results was part of CHED’s commitment to monitor and evaluate the performance of nursing schools nationwide and to ensure the quality of nursing education in the country.

This move, he stressed, was made to answer the clamor of the public and education stakeholders of a more informative background on higher education institutions in the country to aide parents and students in deciding which schools could provide them quality education and their money’s worth.