CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The regional office of the Commission on Higher Education
(CHED) revealed yesterday that 26 of 31 private universities and colleges in Central Luzon which had announced tuition fee hikes next school year have frozen such plans.
“The 26 schools have accommodated the appeal of the CHED not to increase tuition fees next school year amid the global economic crisis,” CHED regional director Dr. Felizardo Francisco told Punto.
This, even as Francisco also said that 40 out of some 50 schools offering nursing courses in various provinces in Central Luzon are now under fire amid statistics from the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) indicating their poor performance in the recent nursing board examinations.
“These schools with poor performance in the nursing board will be monitored and will be subject of three evaluations before being confronted with the possibility of their nursing course being phased out,” he said.
At the same time, Francisco said that tuition fees will not be increased in public universities and colleges in Central Luzon.
He also said that while 31 private universities and colleges in the region had initially applied for tuition fee hike, 26 withdrew their plans after CHED chairman Dr. Emmanuel Angeles appealed to them not to increase tuition amid the global economic crisis.
Francisco noted that the Bataan Heroes Memorial Colleges in Bataan province was among those which initially sought tuition fee hike, but that is recently decided to even lower its tuition by 10 percent amid decrease in its enrollment.
He identified the schools that will increase either tuition or miscellaneous fees as STI College in Angeles City, which will implement a five percent tuition hike and the Dominican College of Tarlac which will increase its tuition by 10 percent.
“These two schools have not increased tuition in the last two years,” he said.
Francisco said that the Lyceum of Subic Bay in Zambales is implementing a 20 percent increase in tuition after its officials had promised a P3,000 increase in the pay of teachers and non-academic personnel, while Pampanga Colleges will increase only its miscellaneous fees.
Central Luzon has 11 state colleges and universities, 165 private tertiary level schools, and eight local government colleges. Francisco said that CHED has already implemented its policy of phasing out accountancy courses of schools with dismal record of passing rate in accountancy board examinations.
Now, schools offering nursing courses are being similarly monitored, he added.
Francisco cited PRC figures indicating that only a few schools offering nursing courses have been doing well in the nursing board examinations.
He identified some of these top-performing bigger nursing schools in Central Luzon as the University of Angeles Foundation in Angeles City whose passing rate in the last nursing board examinations was 90 percent, the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology in Munoz, Nueva Ecija with a 58 percent passing rate, and the Araullo University in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija with a 41 percent passing rate.
Franciso noted these schools had more than 100 nursing graduates who took the recent nursing board examinations.
He said that among those which had less than 100 nursing graduates who took the board exams, Jose Feliciano College in Mabalacat, Pampanga had a passing rate of 53 percent, Holy Angel University in Angeles City with 50 percent, and Nazareno College in Baliuag, Bulacan with 49 percent.
This, even as Francisco also said that 40 out of some 50 schools offering nursing courses in various provinces in Central Luzon are now under fire amid statistics from the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) indicating their poor performance in the recent nursing board examinations.
“These schools with poor performance in the nursing board will be monitored and will be subject of three evaluations before being confronted with the possibility of their nursing course being phased out,” he said.
At the same time, Francisco said that tuition fees will not be increased in public universities and colleges in Central Luzon.
He also said that while 31 private universities and colleges in the region had initially applied for tuition fee hike, 26 withdrew their plans after CHED chairman Dr. Emmanuel Angeles appealed to them not to increase tuition amid the global economic crisis.
Francisco noted that the Bataan Heroes Memorial Colleges in Bataan province was among those which initially sought tuition fee hike, but that is recently decided to even lower its tuition by 10 percent amid decrease in its enrollment.
He identified the schools that will increase either tuition or miscellaneous fees as STI College in Angeles City, which will implement a five percent tuition hike and the Dominican College of Tarlac which will increase its tuition by 10 percent.
“These two schools have not increased tuition in the last two years,” he said.
Francisco said that the Lyceum of Subic Bay in Zambales is implementing a 20 percent increase in tuition after its officials had promised a P3,000 increase in the pay of teachers and non-academic personnel, while Pampanga Colleges will increase only its miscellaneous fees.
Central Luzon has 11 state colleges and universities, 165 private tertiary level schools, and eight local government colleges. Francisco said that CHED has already implemented its policy of phasing out accountancy courses of schools with dismal record of passing rate in accountancy board examinations.
Now, schools offering nursing courses are being similarly monitored, he added.
Francisco cited PRC figures indicating that only a few schools offering nursing courses have been doing well in the nursing board examinations.
He identified some of these top-performing bigger nursing schools in Central Luzon as the University of Angeles Foundation in Angeles City whose passing rate in the last nursing board examinations was 90 percent, the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology in Munoz, Nueva Ecija with a 58 percent passing rate, and the Araullo University in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija with a 41 percent passing rate.
Franciso noted these schools had more than 100 nursing graduates who took the recent nursing board examinations.
He said that among those which had less than 100 nursing graduates who took the board exams, Jose Feliciano College in Mabalacat, Pampanga had a passing rate of 53 percent, Holy Angel University in Angeles City with 50 percent, and Nazareno College in Baliuag, Bulacan with 49 percent.
