New Policies and Guidelines for the Grant of Autonomous and Deregulated Status to Selected Private Higher Education Institutions with Benefits Accruing Thereto

November 15, 2006

CHED MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 052-06

 

In accordance with the pertinent provisions of Republic Act (RA) 7722 otherwise known as the "Higher Education Act of 1994" and by virtue of Commission en banc Resolution Number 804 dated 13 November 2006, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) hereby promulgates these policies and guidelines to implement the grant of autonomous and deregulated status to selected private higher education institutions (PHEIs) with corresponding benefits. These policies and guidelines shall be adopted in the identification of new PHEIs that will be granted autonomous and deregulated status as well as in the evaluation of identified PHEIs for the retention/withdrawal or upgrading/downgrading of their status. cHEATI

I. Objectives

The Commission on Higher Education recognizes the enormous contribution of private higher education institutions in the growth and prominence of tertiary education in the country and in the Asia-Pacific. The CHED is also cognizant of their consistent committed service through quality education, research and extension work.

At present, there are about 1465 private higher education institutions under the supervision of CHED with a total of about 1.6 million students enrolled in some 978 academic programs in the undergraduate and graduate levels. The task of supervising these private higher education institutions is formidable and demanding, hence the need to rationalize the supervision of PHEIs.

The grant of autonomous and deregulated status to deserving private colleges and universities is thus aimed at recognizing private HEIs that have consistently shown exemplary performance in the provision of education, research and extension services, at the same time rationalizing supervision of private HEIs through progressive deregulation.

II. Definition of Terms

Cluster of Disciplines — pertains to the clustering identified by CHED as follows:

• Agriculture Education

• Business and Management Education

• Criminal Justice Education

• Engineering and Architecture Education

• Health Profession Education

• Humanities Education

• Information Technology Education

• Legal Education

• Maritime Education

• Science and Mathematics

• Social Sciences Education ACETID

• Teacher Education

International or national recognition — refers to certifications, accreditations, categories or ranks and awards given by quality assurance organizations or bodies in cognizance of quality management or academic excellence in higher education such as but not limited to the following examples:

• Certification — ISO 9001:2000 or ISO 14001

• Accreditation — Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) which is American-based

• Award — Philippine Quality Award (patterned after the Malcolm Baldridge Quality Award)

• Categories or Ranks — official studies or classifications such as the one made by the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (NOOSR) of the Department of Employment, Education and Training of Australia, published in a document titled "Studies in Comparative Education: The Philippines (1990)". However, an updated version is desired.

Level of Accreditation — accreditation level for a particular program or institution granted by recognized accrediting bodies as certified by the Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines (FAAP) or the National Network of Quality Accrediting Agencies (NNQAA) indicating that the program or institution has attained certain standards of quality over and above the minimum requirements prescribed by the Commission on Higher Education.

Policies, Standards and Guidelines (PSGs) — sets of minimum standards prescribed by CHED in terms of curriculum, processes and input requirements for academic programs which HEIs must comply with to obtain the mandatory government authority (permit and recognition) to offer a degree program at the baccalaureate or graduate level.

Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs) — refers to institutions of higher learning that are organized under the Corporation Code and governed by special laws and the general provisions of the Code.

III. General Criteria for Selection

1. The selection and identification of PHEIs to be granted autonomy and deregulated status shall be based on the following general criteria: CSIDTc

a. Long tradition of integrity and untarnished reputation — an attribute ascribed to a higher education institution that has consistently adhered to existing laws, rules and regulations and hence has no record of confirmed violations of Philippine laws, CHED Memorandum Orders (CMOs) and Policies, Standards and Guidelines (PSGs), and no school officials, faculty or staff involved in anomalies.

b. Commitment to excellence — the HEI demonstrates academic excellence as evidenced by presence of COEs, CODs, accredited status or Institutional Monitoring and Evaluation for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (IQUAME) category. All forms of existing quality assurance mechanisms applicable to Philippine higher education institutions were considered. Performance in licensure examinations is excluded as a separate criterion since it is already taken into consideration in the identification of COEs/CODs, level of accredited programs and IQUAME classification.

c. Sustainability and viability of operations.

2. Integrity and untarnished reputation is a must criterion. Failure to meet this will automatically disqualify a PHEI for the grant of autonomy or deregulated status.

3. The indicators for the above criteria 1.b and 1.c and the corresponding weights are in the following table:

	Commitment to Excellence	Sustainability and Viability of
		Operations (30%)
A.	HEIs that meet any of the	A.	Financially sound
	singular criteria for Autonomous
	Status (70%)
		•	Statement of profit and loss
			reflects the institution's
			capability
•	At least 5 programs are		to sustain operations (8%)
	identified as COEs
•	At least 4 programs have Level	•	Enrollment trend shows
	IV accreditation		continuous increase. Otherwise,
•	At least 3 clusters of		if ever decrease is shown, it is
	disciplines or 6 programs have		within the 5 to 10% acceptable
	Level III accreditation		range unless the institution
•	The HEI has an IQUAME		voluntarily opted to scale down
	category of A(r) (Research		its enrolment (8%)
	University or College)
		•	Enrolment and admission
			policies are in line with
			institution's Vision, Mission and
			Goals (8%)
B.	HEIs that meet any of the singular	B.	Administrative
	criteria for Deregulated		competence
	Status (60%)
•	At least 3 programs are identified	•	Top administrators
	as COEs		should be educationally
•	At least 4 programs are identified as		qualified (6%)
	CODs
•	At least 3 programs have Level IV
	accreditation
•	At least 2 clusters of disciplines
	or 4 programs have Level III
	accreditation
•	The HEI has an IQUAME category
	of A(t) (Teaching University or
	College) and two program
	recognition for academic
	excellence
C.	HEIs which meet a combination of
	any of the following criteria for
	Autonomous (70%) or Deregulated
	Status (60%)
	HEIs which will obtain a total of
	at least 200 points (equivalent to
	70%) from the following items will
	qualify for Autonomous Status
	while HEIs which will obtain a
	total of at least 120 points
	(equivalent to 60%) will qualify
	for Deregulated Status
•	COE/COD
	COE (40 points per program)
	COD (30 points per program)
•	IQUAME Category
	A (t) (100 points)
•	Accreditation
	Level IV (50 points per program)
	Level III (35 points per program
	or 70 per cluster of disciplines)
	Level II (10 points per program
	for a maximum of 50 points)
•	International or National Recognition
	for academic excellence (10 points
	per program recognition or 40 points
	per institutional recognition) for a
	maximum of 40 points.

4. To qualify for autonomous status, an institution must obtain a minimum of 70% under Commitment to Excellence and a total percentage score of 91-100%. To qualify for deregulated status, an institution must obtain a minimum of 60% under Commitment to Excellence and a total percentage score of 81-90%.

IV. Selection Procedure

1. The CHED Regional Offices (CHEDROs) shall create a Regional Evaluation Team of Experts who are not CHED personnel to conduct preliminary identification and evaluation of PHEIs in their respective regions and submit to the Office of the Chairman a recommended list of candidate PHEIs for the grant of autonomous and deregulated status.

2. An independent Technical Working Group (TWG) composed of experts shall be constituted by the CHED Central Office to conduct final validation and evaluation of the candidate PHEIs and submit to the Commission en banc the list of recommended PHEIs for the grant of autonomous and deregulated status.

3. The Commission en banc shall approve the PHEIs to be granted autonomous or deregulated status.

V. Benefits of Autonomous Status

The following are the benefits to be enjoyed by PHEIs granted autonomy:

1. Exemption from the issuance of Special Order (S.O) for their graduates.

2. Free from regular monitoring and evaluation by CHED. However, in cases when there will be complaints filed against the Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs), or there are reported violations by the Private Higher Education Institutions of existing laws, rules and regulations, or there are sensational issues/problems raised about the operation of the Private Higher Education Institutions, the CHED may conduct verification, monitoring or investigation activities. ISTECA

3. Priority in the grant of subsidies and other financial incentives/assistance from the Commission on Higher Education whenever funds are available.

4. Privilege to determine and prescribe their curricular programs to achieve global competence. In case of curricular revisions, for record purposes, the Private Higher Education Institutions should inform the CHED Central Office at least one semester prior to the start of the intended academic year the revised curriculum shall be implemented. The revised curriculum shall be applicable only to the entering students of the specified academic year. 

5. Privilege to offer new course(s)/program(s) in the undergraduate or graduate level without securing permit/authority from CHED except in disciplines that are under moratorium. The Private Higher Education Institutions can offer a maximum of two (2) new courses/programs in a given academic year and should ensure that the CHED minimum requirements as embodied in the existing policies, standards and guidelines (PSGs) for a particular course/program are fully complied with. The Private Higher Education Institutions should inform the CHED Central Office of the new course(s)/program(s) at least one semester prior to the start of the academic year such will be offered. The institutions should also inform the CHED Regional Office in January, six months before the start of the new academic year for which the new program(s)/course(s) will be offered.

6. Privilege to establish branch/es or satellite campus/es without securing government authority from CHED. The Private Higher Education Institutions should ensure that the new branch/campus complies with the CHED minimum requirements with regard to the establishment of a new higher education institution and the existing CHED PSGs for the course(s)/program(s) to be offered. The Private Higher Education Institutions should inform the CHED Central Office at least one semester prior to the start of the intended academic year that the new branch/campus shall operate. Privilege to offer extension classes and distance education course(s)/program(s) to expand access to higher education, and to establish affiliation with recognized foreign higher education institutions in pursuit of international standard of education. The Private Higher Education Institutions should ensure that the existing CHED PSGs for the offering of extension classes and distance education programs are fully complied with.

7. The Private Higher Education Institutions should ensure that the existing CHED PSGs for twinning/networking/linkage programs are fully complied with. The Private Higher Education Institutions should inform the CHED Central Office at least one semester prior to the start of intended academic year such will be offered or established. ISaTCD

8. Authority to grant Honoris Causa to those deserving, per pertinent provisions of existing CHED issuance on conferment of honorary degrees.

VI. Benefits of Deregulated Status

The benefits granted to autonomous Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs) shall likewise be accorded to institutions with deregulated status except the privileges provided in item numbers 5, 6 and 7 of Section V. BENEFITS OF AUTONOMOUS STATUS.

The following benefits are:

1. Exemption from the issuance of Special order for their graduates.

2. Free from regular monitoring and evaluation by CHED. However, in cases when there will be complaints filed against the Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs), or there are reported violations by the Private Higher Education Institutions of existing laws, rules and regulations, or there are sensational issues/problems raised about the operation of the Private Higher Education Institutions, the CHED may conduct verification, monitoring or investigation activities.

3. Priority in the grant of subsidies and other financial incentives/assistance from the Commission on Higher Education whenever funds are available.

4. Privilege to determine and prescribe their curricular programs to achieve global competence. In case of curricular revisions, for record purposes, the Private Higher Education Institutions should inform the CHED Central Office at least one semester prior to the start of the intended academic year the revised curriculum shall be implemented. The revised curriculum shall be applicable only to the entering students of the specified academic year.

5. Authority to grant Honoris Causa to those deserving, per pertinent provisions of existing CHED issuance on conferment of honorary degrees.

6. Private Higher Education Institutions granted deregulated status has to secure from the Commission on Higher Education permit or authority to offer a new course/program, establish branch/satellite campus or offer extension classes and distance education programs or establish twinning/networking/linkage programs with foreign institutions. TCaEIc

VII. Conditions of Grant

The Commission on Higher Education shall implement the following conditions of grant:

1. Private higher education institutions granted autonomy and deregulated status are required to submit to the concerned CHED Regional Office their Enrolment list per semester, Graduation List of the current school year, and other institutional data/information as part of data gathering of CHED for the Higher Education-Management Information System (HEMIS) following the prescribed format or specifications and deadline set for submission.

2. Six (6) months before the expiration of the grant, the CHED shall evaluate the private higher education institutions granted autonomy and deregulated status to determine retention/withdrawal or upgrading/downgrading of the status.

VIII. Transitory Provisions

Per CMO No. 32, Series of 2001 and CMO No. 21, series of 2003, six months before the expiration of the grant, the CHED Selection Committee shall meet and evaluate the Private Higher Education Institutions granted autonomous and deregulated status. Since the identified Private Higher Education Institutions granted autonomy and deregulated status per CMO No. 32, series of 2001 have not yet been evaluated by CHED, the grant of autonomy and deregulated status to them is extended until end of Second Semester of Academic Year 2006-2007. During this transition period, they shall be evaluated by CHED to determine retention/withdrawal or upgrading/downgrading of their status effective First Semester of Academic Year 2007-2008. The identified Private Higher Education Institutions as listed in CMO No. 32, Series of 2001 shall continue to enjoy all the benefits specified in Section V of the said CMO except items 5, 6, and 7 regarding opening of new course(s)/programs(s), establishment of branch/es or campus/es and offering of extension classes and distance education.

IX. Effectivity

The autonomous and deregulated status to be granted to selected private higher education institutions shall be in force and in effect for five (5) academic years from the academic year the grant is awarded.

ISSUED this 15th day of November, 2006 at Pasig City.

(SGD.) CARLITO S. PUNOChairmanCommission on Higher Education