CHEd fails to shut low-performing nursing schools -- COA

June 12, 2008 21:58:00
Jocelyn Uy
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines -- The Commission on Higher Education has continued to allow more than 150 "low performing" nursing schools to operate contrary to its regulatory power to protect the quality of nursing education in the country, according to the Commission on Audit.

In its 2007 audit report, COA noted CHEd's "lack of enforcement" in phasing out nursing programs of schools with a poor showing at the nursing board examination.

It pointed out that among the powers and functions of the agency was to monitor and evaluate the performance of programs and institutions of higher learning and impose, if necessary, appropriate sanctions such as program termination or school closure.

Citing the five-year performance of schools in the nursing board examination compiled by CHEd from 2001 to 2005, COA said only 111 out of the 263 nursing schools nationwide managed to have at least 50 percent of their graduates pass the Professional Regulations Commission licensure examination.

It further added that 108 schools had a passing percentage of less than 50 percent but greater than 25 percent; 25 schools had a zero to less than 25 passing rate while 19 higher education institutions had zero passing percentage.

The COA noted that the schools without passers include those with newly-opened nursing programs and with less than five years of program offering.

But none of these poor performing nursing schools or programs has been ordered to discontinue their operations, it said.

CHEd only phased out courses and programs due to poor PRC licensure examination passing performance in Accountancy, Chemistry, Customs Administration, Civil, Chemical, Electrical and Agricultural Engineering, COA found out.

In Ilocos (Region 1) alone, out of the 21 nursing schools in the region, only one school had a good showing in the PRC exams. Only three out of the 23 schools had a 50 percent passing rate in the Bicol Region.

In Metro Manila, out of the 63 schools offering the nursing program, 35 had a 50 percent passing rate while 10 out of the 15 schools in Central Visayas (Region VII) managed to meet the threshold.

Examinees in the PRC examination "tremendously increased" in the last four years since 2003 mainly due to the proliferation of nursing schools in the country, said the commission.

CHEd would have to consider closing nursing programs with poor performance as their continued operation would contribute to the deterioration of nursing education and eventually to the country's competitiveness in health care services, said COA.

"We recommend that CHEd exercise its regulatory function to phase out low performing higher education institutions' nursing programs to maintain and protect the desired high standard and quality of nursing education," COA said.

It also noted the agency's failure to enforce its own regulations on seven state colleges and universities that opened nursing programs in 2003, 2005 and 2007 without CHEd's certificate of authority.

These schools included a state university and a local college in Metro Manila, two campuses of a state university in Isabela and three state colleges in Zamboanga -- two of which were in consortium with the Western Mindanao State University.

"This could jeopardize the chances of the graduates and students of these [institutions] from taking the nursing board exams and/or having their transcript of records recognized by other nursing schools for transfer purposes," COA said.

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