UNIVERSITY AUTONOMY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE

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UNIVERSITY AUTONOMY IN THE
CONTEXT OF THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
Clarita M. de Leon-Carillo, Ph.D. University of
Santo Tomas Manila, Philippines
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National

Regional

Institutional
Public and Private HEIs
Fig. 1. HEIs Ecology of Legislations
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Some relevant Constitutional provisions directly
expressing the role of the State in education
The State shall protect and promote the right of
all citizens to quality education at all levels
and shall take appropriate steps to make such
education accessible to all (Article XIV, Sec.
1). The State recognizes the complementary roles
of public and private institutions in the
educational system and shall exercise reasonable
supervision and regulation of all educational
institutions (Article XIV, Sec. 41)
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Some relevant Constitutional provisions directly
expressing the role of the State in education
Educational institutions, other than those
established by religious groups and mission
boards, shall be owned solely by citizens of the
Philippines or corporations or associations at
least sixty per centum of the capital of which is
owned by such citizens. The Congress may,
however, require increased Filipino equity
participation in all educational institutions.
The control and administration of educational
institutions shall be vested in citizens of the
Philippines (Article XIV, Sec. 42).
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Some relevant Constitutional provisions directly
expressing the role of the State in education
The State shall take into account regional and
sectoral needs and conditions and shall encourage
local planning in the development of educational
policies and programs (Article XIV, Sec.
51). Academic freedom shall be enjoyed in all
institutions of higher learning (Article XIV,
Sec. 52).
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Creation of the Commission on Higher Education

• governing body that covers both public and
  private higher education institutions in the
  Philippines
• established on May 18, 1994 through Republic
  Act 7722, also known as the Higher Education Act
  of 1994
• created in view of the broad agenda for reforms
  which resulted from the Congressional Commission
  on Education (EDCOM) Report 1991 under the
  leadership of Senator Edgardo Angara.

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Creation of the Commission on Higher Education
Trifocalization of the education sector in the
country
Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS)
Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA)
Department of Education (DepEd)
Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
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Direction-setting/policy formulation
General supervision
CHED Powers and Functions
Fiscal / Funds management
Quality assurance. monitoring, and evaluation
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Powers and Functions of CHED
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Powers and Functions of CHED
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Powers and Functions of CHED
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Powers and Functions of CHED
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Powers and Functions of CHED
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Powers and Functions of CHED
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As of December 2007, there have been about 2016
higher education institutions in the country that
are distributed among 17 regions.
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PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

• 110 state universities and colleges (SUCs)
  with main campuses326 satellite campuses
• 70 local universities and colleges (LUCs)
• 1 CHED-supervised institution (CSI)
• 10 other government schools (OGS)
• 5 special HEIs

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Public Higher Education Institutions

• State Universities and Colleges (SUCs)
• established by law and thus have their own
  charter
• administered and funded by the national
  government
• governed by a Board of Regents (state
  universities) or a Board of Trustees (state
  colleges) headed by the CHED Chair or a CHED
  Commissioner (CMO 3 series 2001)
• the HEI president, staff and support units are
  vested with the power to implement policies
  formulated and approved by the Board and have
  direct administration and management of the HEI

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Public Higher Education Institutions

• Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs)
• established through resolutions and ordinances
  approved by the local government units and are
  therefore subsidized by them.

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Public Higher Education Institutions

• CHED-Supervised Institution (CSI)
• a non-chartered, post-secondary institution
  established by law
• administered, supervised, and financially
  supported by the national government

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Public Higher Education Institutions

• Other Government Schools (OGS)
• usually technical-vocational educational
  institutions that offer higher education programs
  
• funded by national and local government units

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Public Higher Education Institutions

• Special HEIs
• created through special laws that stipulate
  specifically the government agency that shall
  administer and supervise them

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Public Higher Education Institutions
CHED
rationalization of the program offerings of SUCs
on a regional basis
specialization in each SUC
Specialization intra-regionally among SUCs
agriculture, technology and engineering, and
technical education
X duplication of program offerings and the
overlapping of target markets. 

• better regional coordination among SUCs

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As of December 2007, there have been about 2016
higher education institutions in the country that
are distributed among 17 regions.
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PRIVATE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
Earlier figures showed that the private sector
accounts for a larger percentage of higher
education institutions, making it the major
provider of the countrys educational services
(CHED Report 2008).
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Private Higher Education Institutions
Non-sectarian duly incorporated academic
institutions, owned and operated by private
entities that are not affiliated to any religious
organization.
Sectarian non-stock, non-profit duly
incorporated academic institutions that are owned
and operated by religious groups or organizations

• In both cases, these HEIs are established
  under, and are governed by the special laws and
  general provisions of, the Corporation Code of
  the Philippines.

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Private Higher Education Institutions

• Though financed independently from
  government budget, private HEIs must follow the
  requirements set by CHED as contained in its
  policies, standards and guidelines (PSGs).
• Said PSGs cover program offerings,
  curricula, set academic qualifications for
  administrators and faculty.

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Private Higher Education Institutions

• Further, private HEIs must also comply with
  the provisions of the Manual of Regulations for
  Private Schools (MRPS) which set the general
  policies and/or minimum standards for internal
  organization, faculty qualifications, school
  finance and administration, school facilities,
  student admission, records and graduation
  requirements, among others.

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Private Higher Education Institutions

• Generally, private HEIs obtain funding from
  their own capital investments, equity
  contributions, tuition fees and other school
  charges, grants, loans, subsidies and other
  income sources in accordance with current
  legislation.
• In some instances, special grants and
  scholarships are extended by the national and
  local government agencies.

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Academic Freedom
Autonomous and deregulated status
IQUAME
AUTONOMY AND DEREGULATION
Centers of Excellence and Development
Program Accreditation
Institutional Accreditation
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AUTONOMY AND DEREGULATION
a. Academic Freedom

• The 1935 Constitution provided that
  (u)niversities established by the state shall
  enjoy academic freedom.

• The 1973 Constitution, on the other hand,
  offered something different when it provided that
  (a)ll institutions of higher learning shall
  enjoy academic freedom.

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Academic Freedom

• Under the 1987 Constitution, institutional
  academic freedom consists of four essential
  freedoms
• who may teach
• what may be taught
• how it shall be taught
• who may be admitted to study

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Academic Freedom

• Who may teach
• discretion in the appointment of academic
  personnel in accordance with its standards of
  competence and probity
• a prerogative that is almost absolute, limited
  only by existing laws against discrimination

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Academic Freedom

• (2) What and (3) How to Teach
• the institutional right to decide for itself
  its aims and objectives and how best to attain
  them, free from outside coercion or interference
  save possibly when the overriding public welfare
  calls for some restraint, and with a wide sphere
  of autonomy certainly extending to the choice of
  students.
• (Garcia vs. Faculty Admissions Committee, 68
  SCRA 283, 1975)

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Academic Freedom

• (4) Who may study
• prerogative to determine through its own set
  of rules who could be allowed the opportunity to
  study
• admission rules may vary depending on whether
  institutions of higher learning are private or
  public institutions
• right to promulgate or set academic standards
  for students observance, again subject to the
  existing law and jurisprudence.

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AUTONOMY AND DEREGULATION
b. Autonomous and Deregulated Status (CMO 32
series 2001)
In recognition of (a) the enormous
contribution of private higher education
institutions in the growth and prominence of
tertiary education in the country and in the
Asia-Pacific (b) the formidable and demanding
task of supervising the 2016 PHEIs, and thus the
need to rationalize their supervision
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Autonomous and Deregulated Status

Long tradition of integrity and untarnished
reputation
Sustainability and viability of operations
Commitment to excellence
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Autonomous and Deregulated Status

1. Long tradition of integrity and untarnished
reputation This attribute is ascribed to a
higher education institution that has
consistently adhered to existing laws, rules and
regulations and has no record of confirmed
violations of Philippine laws, CHED Memorandum
Orders (CMOs), and PSGs and has established
processes for addressing administrative and
disciplinary cases.
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Autonomous and Deregulated Status

• 2. Commitment to excellence
• The HEI demonstrates academic excellence as
  evidenced by
• the designation of its programs as Center of
  Excellence (COE) or Center of Development (COD)
• its accreditation status
• the PHEIs attainment of the required
  Institutional Monitoring and Evaluation for
  Quality Assurance in Higher Education (IQUAME)
  category

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Autonomous and Deregulated Status

• 2. Commitment to excellence
• All forms of existing quality assurance
  mechanisms applicable to Philippine higher
  education institutions are 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

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Autonomous and Deregulated Status

• 3. Sustainability and viability of operations
• The HEI shows its capability to sustain
  operations and is able to provide evidence of
  stable student enrolment for a least the last
  five years.
• Its enrolment and admission policies must be in
  line with the institutions Vision, Mission and
  Goals.
• Its key administrators (President,
  Vice-President, Dean, Director, Librarian and
  Registrar) are able to meet the educational
  qualifications specified by CHED.

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Table 4. Comparative table of privileges and
benefits granted to autonomous and deregulated
PHEIs
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Table 4. Comparative table of privileges and
benefits granted to autonomous and deregulated
PHEIs
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AUTONOMY AND DEREGULATION
c. Accreditation of Academic Programs
The degree of autonomy thus granted by CHED to
PHEIs considers these institutions ability to
observe and manifest their commitment to
excellent standards of instruction, research,
community and extension services. To a large
extent, such standards need to have been
validated previously by external evaluators
through an accreditation process voluntarily
undertaken by institutions (CMO 01 series 2005)
under any of the accrediting agencies under the
Federation of Accrediting Agencies in the
Philippines (FAAP).
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Accreditation of Academic Programs
Accrediting Agencies
Philippine Association of Colleges and
Universities Commission on Accreditation
(PACUCOA) Philippine Accrediting Association of
Schools, Colleges, and Universities
(PAASCU) Association of Christian Schools,
Colleges and Universities Accrediting Agency,
Inc. (ACSCU-AAI) Accrediting Agency of Chartered
Colleges and Universities of the Philippines
(AACCUP) Association of Local Colleges and
Universities Commission on Accreditation
(ALCUCOA).
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Accreditation of Academic Programs
These various agencies grant program
accreditation through an evaluation of several
areas purposes and objectives
faculty

instruction
laboratories
library resources

physical plant and facilities
student personnel services
social orientation and community
involvement organization and administration
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Table 5. Benefits per Program Accreditation Level
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Table 5. Benefits per Program Accreditation Level
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AUTONOMY AND DEREGULATION
d. Institutional Accreditation

• Benefits
• All the benefits for Level III
• Grant of full autonomy for the program for the
  duration of its level IV accredited status
• Authority to offer new graduate programs
  allied to existing level IV courses
  open/distance education and extension classes
  without need for prior approval by CHED provided
  that the concerned CHEDRO is duly informed

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AUTONOMY AND DEREGULATION
e. Centers of Excellence and Centers of
Development
Center of Excellence (COE) - a unit within any
higher education institution (HEI) with (i) a
strong graduate program and (ii) an undergraduate
program that meets international standards of
academic quality and excellence.
Center of Development (COD) - a unit within any
higher education institution with a strong
undergraduate program and a strong potential to
develop its faculty and its capability in
research.
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AUTONOMY AND DEREGULATION
e. Centers of Excellence and Centers of
Development

• full administrative, financial and curricular
  deregulation
• authority to graduate students without prior
  approval of the CHED and without the need for
  Special Orders
• priority in terms of available funding
  assistance for scholarships, faculty
  development, library materials, development
  activities
• limited visitation, inspection and/or
  supervision by the CHED

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Table 6. Criteria for the Selection of COEs and
CODs
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Centers of Excellence (COEs)
and Centers of
Development (CODs)
Together with the expectations ascribed to PHEIs
that house COEs/CODs, however, are benefits that
come in the form of prioritized financial support
from CHED that pertain to graduate scholarships,
thesis/dissertation grants, faculty development
and upgrading, material, equipment and software
acquisition, instructional materials development,
and research activities.
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AUTONOMY AND DEREGULATION
f. Institutional Quality Assurance, Monitoring,
and Evaluation (IQUAME)

• Five (5) key result areas
• governance and management
• quality of teaching and research
• support for students
• relations with the community
• management of resources.

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Institutional accreditation, COE/COD status,
IQuaME certification
Increasing levels of program accreditation
Autonomous and deregulated status
Minimum Quality Standards
High Quality Standards
Institutional autonomy
Government monitoring and supervision
Fig. 2. Continuum of University Autonomy
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Thank you!