Cayetano to CHED: Give us new 'earth-shaking' higher education reforms

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday challenged the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to come up with a new set of "earth-shaking" reforms in the higher education sector in order to make Philippine universities and their graduates more competitive with their Asian counterparts.

In a manifestation during the Senate debate on the 2023 CHED budget early morning of November 18, 2022, Cayetano urged the commission's officials to aim for more transformative policies in the sector, describing the Unified Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) as one such policy.

"We want to challenge CHED, next to UniFAST, ano y'ung agency-sponsored legislation niyo na earth-shaking na makakatulong talaga sa ating mga estudyante na hindi lang makapasok sa kolehiyo, makapagtapos, get the best opportunities, but also have a brighter future," he said.

"We can go through the pages of the budget, and we agree that the sector should have a larger budget, but we do expect a breakthrough in the next few years," the senator added.

UniFAST is among a slew of programs mandated by the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, signed into law in 2017 during the Duterte administration, which enabled the implementation of tuition-free education in state universities and colleges (SUCs) and expanded access to scholarships and financial aid for students who wish to enroll in college.

Cayetano acknowledged that while there were questions raised by senators regarding alleged red tape within the higher education agency as well as problems with the delivery of cash aid to students, he said he was hopeful that these will be addressed in the next few years.

"Looking ahead, we will be talking about how we could compete with the best universities in Asia, and how our students can get jobs, hopefully not only abroad but here," he said.

The senator also urged CHED Chair Prospero "Popoy" De Vera III, first appointed by the Duterte administration and reappointed in 2022 by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., to maximize his renewed mandate in overseeing the development of tertiary education in the country.

The Senate approved early Friday morning the P30.7 billion allocation for CHED in 2023, being the last agency budget to be approved by the chamber before the General Appropriation Bill moves to the bicameral committee phase. ####

Cayetano, hinamon ang CHED na magpatupad ng 'earth-shaking' na mga reporma para sa mga mag-aaral

Hinamon ni Senador Alan Peter Cayetano noong Biyernes ang Commission on Higher Education (CHED) na lumikha ulit ng panibagong "earth-shaking" na mga reporma sa higher education sector upang gawing mas competitive ang mga unibersidad at college graduates ng bansa kumpara sa mga kasabayan nito sa Asya.

Sa isang manifestation sa Senate debate ukol sa 2023 CHED budget noong madaling araw ng November 18, 2022, nanawagan si Cayetano sa mga opisyal ng komisyon na sikaping gumawa ng mas makabagong mga polisiya para sa sektor ng edukasyon, katulad aniya ng Unified Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST).

"We want to challenge CHED, next to UniFAST, ano y'ung agency-sponsored legislation niyo na earth-shaking na makakatulong talaga sa ating mga estudyante na hindi lang makapasok sa kolehiyo, makapagtapos, get the best opportunities, but also have a brighter future," aniya.

"We can go through the pages of the budget, and we agree that the sector should have a larger budget, but we do expect a breakthrough in the next few years," dagdag ng senador.

Isa ang UniFAST sa mga programang ipinatutupad sa ilalim ng Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, isang batas na ipinasa ng administrasyong Duterte noong 2017. Ginagarantiya nito ang libreng edukasyon sa mga state universities and colleges (SUCs) at pinalawak ang access sa mga scholarships at tulong-pinansyal para sa mga mag-aaral na gustong mag-enrol sa kolehiyo.

Kinilala ni Cayetano na bagama't may mga naging katanungan ang ilang mga senador tungkol sa umano'y red tape sa loob ng CHED at mga problema sa paghahatid ng ayuda sa mga estudyanteng nangangailangan, umaasa siya aniya na mabibigyan din ng solusyon ang mga isyung ito sa susunod na mga taon.

"Looking ahead, we will be talking about how we could compete with the best universities in Asia, and how our students can get jobs, hopefully not only abroad but here," aniya.

Nanawagan din ang senador kay CHED Chair Prospero "Popoy" De Vera III, na naunang na-appoint ng administrasyong Duterte at muling itinalaga ni Ferdinand Marcos Jr., na imaksimisa ang panibago niyang mandato upang pamahalaan ang patuloy na pagpapaganda ng tertiary education sa bansa.

Inaprubahan ng Senado Biyernes ng madaling araw ang P30.7 bilyong alokasyon ng CHED sa taong 2023. Ito ang huling ahensyang naaprubahan ng naturang kamara bago umabante General Appropriation Bill o kabuuang budget ng gobyerno sa bicameral committee phase.