ANGARA: REGULATORY BODY NEEDED FOR CITY COLLEGES

The Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture identified the lack of regulations over newly-established city colleges as a major problem plaguing the country's educational system.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, who chairs the committee, flagged the issue as a priority for immediate action after hearing the reports from the resource persons.

The most recent numbers show that there are currently 93 colleges operating under Local Government Units (LGUs) throughout the Philippines. A vast percentage of these institutions were created over the past few years without undergoing accreditation or registration with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

Angara, former president of the University of the Philippines observed that the number of city colleges were rapidly catching up with the State Colleges and Universities (SUCs) in the country.

"93 colleges under the LGUs--not a far cry from the 110 SUCs we have today. The major difference between the two is, the SUCs are duly registered with and are overseen by the national government while it seems that no such process was followed in these city schools," he observed.

Further, the LGUs have no apparent authority to established full-fledged tertiary curriculums, according to an official from CHED. By law, the city government can only create vocational programs to serve their constituents.

"We are not casting doubt on the quality of education being provided by these schools. However, we must always think of the welfare of their students, that they don't be shortchanged when they graduate due to lack of accreditation. I believe that a specific body must be created at the soonest possible time to ensure that all of these educational institutions are performing equally well," said Angara.