EDCOM II flags overlapping CHED, PRC laws

The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) on Thursday said that outdated laws for the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) hinder progress in tertiary curriculum.

During a Senate committee hearing on bills related to the tertiary education charter, EDCOM II Executive Director Karol Mark R. Yee said they have found 36 professional laws which restrict CHED from adjusting their curriculum.

“The challenge is that if the needs of the curriculum change based on the demands of the profession, [CHED] won’t be able to change it because the law explicitly states what the topics should be,” Mr. Yee said in a mix of English and Filipino, noting that some topics could be outdated already.

According to the EDCOM II’s findings, the 36 professional laws have determined the licensure exams topics, 16 laws have been found to prescribe minimum field hours, and nine mandates detailed program length, structure, and facilities for the program, blocking CHED from making updates.

Mr. Yee also stressed the lack of law-enabled mechanisms allowing CHED and the PRC to resolve the overlapping laws.

“If CHED suddenly decides five years and five months, that’s not allowed — because the law clearly states six years. Even if they say ‘let’s just shorten it now that we have K-12,’ it’s still not allowed, because it’s already written in the law,” he added.

Several bills have been filed in the Senate addressing the tertiary education charter, including the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

The bills have also touched on the Philippine Professional Standards & Quality Assurance System Act which seeks to establish the Board of Pro-gram Standards co-chaired by CHED, TESDA, and the PRC to unify their overlapping policies. — Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel