Amendments to CHED Memorandum No. 33, Series of 2016

December 29, 2016

CHED MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 063-16

 

In accordance with the pertinent provisions of Republic Act No. 7722 of the Higher Education Act of 1994, the Commission on Higher Education released CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 33, series of 2016, entitled Guidelines for the Institutional Development and Innovation Grants under the K to 12 Transition Program. In line with the Commission's continued efforts to refine, nuance, and increase the responsiveness of its policies, CMO No. 33, s. 2016 is hereby amended as follows:

SECTION 1. Article 1, Section 6A of CMO No. 33, s. 2016 shall be inserted after Section 6 and shall read as follows:

"Article I

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6A. This effort hopes to fast track the development of Philippine HEIs vis-a-vis the Commission's investments in the academic development of HEI teaching and non-teaching personnel during the Transition Period. It too aims to prepare the HEIs meet the current, as well as the new, standards brought about by the shift to the K to 12 basic education system.

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SECTION 2. Article III of CMO No. 33, s. 2016 is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Article III

Depending on their qualifications and objectives, HEIs may undertake projects either in Institutional Development or in Institutional Innovation, and may choose from the subcategories as specified below. Further, projects may comprise combinations of identified components under one category only of any of the identified components under each category as detailed below, exhibiting a range of related and cohesive activities. Such projects are undertaken by the HEIs with a view of sustaining them well after, and synergistic with the other development efforts during the K to 12 Transition Period. HTcADC

1. Institutional Development.This category covers projects undertaken by HEIs that meet the minimum requirements of the Grant. Initiatives under this category help establish the foundations for innovation, as well as support the HEI in improving its systems, processes, instructional content, and pedagogies towards achieving their own desired vertical typology, and for their programs to be potential Centers of Development (COD) and/or Centers of Excellence (COE) through the following components:

a. Institutional Quality Assurance. HEIs may include any activity that either institutes internal systems for quality assurance within their HEI or supports them in meeting qualifications for external quality assurance, including initiatives that allow HEIs to make necessary adjustments in aligning with the changes resulting from the shift to the K to 12 curriculum. Broadly, this component covers initiatives that:

i. Translate the HEI's vision, mission and goals to desired learning outcomes;

ii. Establish a better learning environment in the HEI;

iii. Increase the HEI's capacity to enhance its own programs and systems in a sustainable manner;

iv. Align the HEI to nationally and internationally accepted performance and assessment indicators; and

v. Increase the HEI's capacity to enhance its own programs and systems in a sustainable manner.

b. Organizational Strengthening of HEI. This covers initiatives that establish and/or enhance relevant organizational structures/functions required of an HEI in order to meet its targeted typology.

2. Institutional Innovation. This category covers projects by HEIs that hold higher levels of accreditation. Projects under this category add new value to the HEI and/or enhance its existing resources to achieve better efficiency and quality in their academic programs, as well as linkages with industry and the global education sector. The HEIs, thus, have a hand not only in upgrading the higher education sector but also in the country's productivity, as well as regional and global competitiveness.

a. (Repealed)

b. Development of Academic Programs. Following the respective policies, standards, guidelines (PSGs) for each program, HEIs may include initiatives to formulate, enhance, and reinvigorate academic programs classified as:

i. Niche programs — Existing or new degree programs that highlight local, regional or national uniqueness and resource utilization, and can establish an HEI or its locality, region, or the country, as a leader in the particular field or discipline.

ii. Priority programs — Existing or new degree programs in areas essential to regional and national development, particularly during the K to 12 Transition Period (Refer to CMO No. 3, series of 2016 — Appendix 1 and CMO No. 22, s. 2016 — Appendix 2), or fields otherwise identified by the Commission.

iii. Endangered Programs — Existing programs with very low enrolment and/or graduation rates but are considered essential to the socio-cultural development of the region or country. Such programs are placed at greater risk due to the lower enrollment during the Transition Period.

c. Academe-Industry Linkages. In line with the emphasis of the K to 12 curriculum on making Philippine education more responsive and relevant to industry, HEIs may propose activities that foster linkages with industry partners to aid in the alignment of academic instruction, the professional preparation of students with industry practice and standards, and to spur research, development and innovation (RDI) activities with high social impact. aScITE

d. x x x

3. CHED-Initiated IDI Grants. The Commission shall endeavor to set directions and priority areas apart from those previously mentioned, in order to maximize the opportunities present through the K to 12 Transition Program. This may be through initiatives of the Commission through the TWG and its sub-committees, or through partnerships with local and foreign organizations, governed by Memoranda of Agreement or other similar arrangements, to jointly initiate and fund projects in line with the thrusts of the Institutional Development and Innovation Grants (Guidelines for such projects shall be released separately by the Commission)."

SECTION 3. Sections 4 and 5 of Article IV of CMO No. 33, s. 2016 is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Article IV

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4. The proposed project may also be initiated by a department, office or unit within the HEI. Proponents are required to employ at least (1) deloaded teaching or non-teaching personnel as part of the project implementation. Nonetheless, the proposal must be endorsed by the head/president of the HEI.

a. The deloaded personnel must be fully or partially deloaded at the time of project implementation, with a maximum load equivalent to half of the normal loading of the institution, whether teaching, administrative, or otherwise, or an equivalent of 20 hours of work hours per week for non-teaching personnel.

b. HEIs are encouraged to engage as many deloaded personnel as possible, as a means of continued professional development, while decreasing the impact of the Transition Period on labor.

5. Funding under the grant shall run for a maximum duration of twenty-four months, which will encompass the completion of the project and the cascading of best practices. Project extensions may be requested by the HEI in writing and shall be subject to the approval of the CEB, based on a preliminary evaluation of the progress of the project.

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SECTION 4. Article V of CMO No. 33, s. 2016 is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Article V

The Call for Proposals for the Institutional Development and Innovation Grant shall be issued annually. Project proposals from prospective HEI grantees shall strictly follow the application process detailed below (Refer to Appendix 2: Procedure Flowchart). Projects resulting from CHED-initiated partnerships lodged under the Grant shall be governed by the agreement/s entered into by the Commission and its partner organization/s.

1. HEIs that wish to avail of the Institutional Development and Innovation Grant must first submit a concept note (Refer to Appendix 3: Concept Paper Template), endorsed by the HEI president/head, for the project they want to be funded under the Grant to the CHED K to 12 Transition Program Management Unit. Institutions may submit multiple concept notes, but must indicate the sequencing of prioritization of the proposals.

For those projects under the CHED-Initiated IDI Grants category, only those targeted HEIs may apply based on the eligibility requirements set by the TWG and its subcommittees.

The Commission may require that these requirements be submitted through an online portal, or through other mechanisms as required by the Commission depending on the nature of the requirement. HEITAD

1A. The concept papers shall be reviewed by the IDI Grants Technical Working Group. This step shall serve as a pre-screening process to ensure efficiency in the preparation of full proposals and greater success of HEIs in accessing the Grant. HEIs which pass this assessment shall be informed as such.

2. Only HEI applicants which pass the pre-screening may then submit their Full Protect Proposal along with the complete documentary requirements specified by the Commission (Refer to Appendix 5: Application Requirements), to the CHED Regional Office (CHEDRO) in their respective regions or in the region in which the lead HEI is located. A cover letter, duly signed by the head of the lead HEI, addressed to the CHED Chairperson with an attention line to the Regional Director is required. Note that full proposals of which concept notes have not been pre-screened by the TWG will not be accepted by the CHEDROs.

3. Evaluation of Full Project Proposals shall be done in two stages through panels designated by the Commission: (1) screening at the regional level through the IDI Grants Regional Vetting Panels (RVP), and (2) final screening at the national level through the IDI Grants National Vetting Panel (NVP). Proponents of the proposals may be invited to present during the vetting sessions.

Should institutions fail to indicate the sequencing of prioritization of their submissions, the Commission, through its vetting panels, shall exercise discretion in the prioritization of these projects.

4. Project proposals shall be evaluated based on the following criteria: (1) technical merit; (2) relevance and developmental nature or the value-added; and (3) capacity of the proponents to successfully deliver the stated goals. Proposals that will not reach 70 percent of the total score at the regional level will not be endorsed to the NVP for evaluation. (Refer to Appendix 8: Selection Criteria)

5. The CHED Regional Office shall collate the results of the Regional Vetting for endorsement to the CHED Central Office. HEIs, whose proposals pass the regional vetting, shall submit to the CHED Regional Office five (5) copies of the proposal. Endorsements made by the RVPs and NVP shall be final and executory.

6. x x x

7. x x x"

SECTION 5. Article VI of CMO No. 33, s. 2016 is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Article VI

1. A maximum amount is set for the Grant Categories, and shall be subject to annual review and possible revision by the Commission, taking into consideration inflation rate and other factors. These amounts are as follows:

a. Two million pesos to five million pesos (Php2,000,000.00-Php5,000,000.00) for the Institutional Development category; and

b. Eight million pesos to twelve million pesos (Php8,000,000.00-Php12,000,000.00) for the Institutional Innovation category.

2. The Grant may NOT be used for capital outlay (i.e., construction of infrastructure), but may be used for the improvement and refurbishment of existing facilities and Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) budget items. Acquisition of equipment that are critical to attaining the proposed project objectives may be accepted, subject to the assessment of the evaluating panels. All other equipment outlay should be included in the counterpart of the HEI Grantee.

3. x x x

4. HEI campuses which have accessed the Grant through the regular application process may only have one (1) project funded at a time. Institutions with ongoing projects under the Grant at the time of Call for Proposals are disqualified_ from_ applying. _However, HEIs remain eligible to implement programs under CHED-initiated projects for IDI Grants even if they have received funding from the Grant.

SECTION 6. Section 3, of Article VII of CMO No. 33, s. 2016 is hereby amended to read as follows: ATICcS

"Article VII

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3. Provide counterpart support in the form of any equipment or outlay beyond the scope of the grant, the salaries of the deloaded personnel as well as any administrative costs related to the implementation of the grant;

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SECTION 7. A new Article VIIIA shall be inserted after Article VIII of CMO No. 33, s. 2016 to read as follows:

"Article VIIIA

HEI Grantees awarded with Grants under CMO No. 33, s. 2016, prior to the issuance of these amendments, shall be governed by the present transitory provision.

For Grantees that_ have initiatives under the Research, Development and Extension component of the Institutional Innovation category, notwithstanding the repeal of the provisions in CMO No. 33, s. 2016, they shall be allowed to complete their grants according to the terms of their existing Grant Agreements."

SECTION 8. Appendices 1, 3-6 of CMO No. 33, s. 2016 are hereby repealed.

SECTION 9. Appendix 7 of CMO No. 33, s. 2016 is hereby amended and shall now follow the format prescribed in Annex A of this CMO.

SECTION 10. Appendix 8 of CMO No. 33, s. 2016 is hereby amended and shall now follow the format prescribed in Annex B of this CMO.

SECTION 11. Repealing Clause. — CMO No. 33, s. 2016 and all other CHED Memorandum Orders or parts thereof which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly. All other provisions of CMO No. 33, s. 2016 that are not affected by this amendment shall remain valid and in force.

SECTION 12. Separability Clause. — If any part of this Order is declared unconstitutional or invalid, such parts or provisions thereof not so declared shall remain valid and subsisting.

SECTION 13. Effectivity Clause. — This policy shall take effect immediately after its issuance. Immediate dissemination of and strict compliance with this Order is directed.

Issued this 29th of December, 2016 in Quezon City, Philippines.

(SGD.) PATRICIA B. LICUANAN, Ph.D.Chairperson

ANNEX A

"Appendix 7: Application Requirements

Institutional Development	Institutional Innovation
Pre-screening
	[ ]	Concept Paper
Screening
	[ ]	Cover Letter
	[ ]	Full Project Proposal
For Private HEIs:
	[ ]	Certificate of Registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) which proves that the HEI is non-stock and non-profit
	[ ]	Audited financial reports for the past three years preceding the date of the project implementation
For SUCs/LUCs:
	[ ]	Copy of resolution from the HEI's Governing Board endorsing the proposed project
	[ ]	Proof of CHED-recognition
			[ ]	Proof of CHED-recognition
			[ ]	Copy of Certificate of Program Accreditation as Level III and above, or equivalent
			[ ]	Proof of Program Accreditation as COD/COE
			For proposed projects with an internationalization component:
			[ ]	Brief background on the foreign HEI/s and proof of recognition by the CHED-equivalent agency of its origin country
			[ ]	Proposed Memorandum of Agreement between contracting parties, including terms of reference

Submission specifications:

1. All necessary forms must be digitally accomplished;

2. Submissions must be in A4 paper size, soft-bound;

3. Submit five (5) copies of all requirements; and TIADCc

4. HEI applicants which fail to submit the complete set of requirements, following the prescribed format, on the set deadline will not be accepted.

ANNEX B

"Appendix 8: Selection Criteria

The following factors will be considered when vetting the proposals:

1. Project's technical merit;

2. Relevance and developmental nature or the value-added by the project; and

3. Demonstrated capacity of HEI/s to successfully deliver the stated goals.

These criteria shall be used to evaluate whether the project proposals submitted by the HEIs fails to meet, meets, or exceeds the expected qualities of a project under Grant. Proposal shall be scored by each member of the respective vetting panel. After which, the scores shall be averaged in order to reach the Regional/National Vetting score.