The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) was created on May 18, 1994 through the passage of Republic Act No. 7722, or the Higher Education Act of 1994. CHED, an attached agency to the Office of the President for administrative purposes, is headed by a chairman and four commissioners, each having a term of office of four years. The Commission En Banc acts as a collegial body in formulating plans, policies and strategies relating to higher education and the operation of CHED.
The creation of CHED was part of a broad agenda of reforms on the country’s education system outlined by the Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM) in 1992. Part of the reforms was the trifocalization of the education sector into three governing bodies: the CHED for tertiary and graduate education, the Department of Education (DepEd) for basic education and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for technical-vocational and middle-level education.
Vision
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is the key leader of the Philippine Higher Education System effectively working in partnership with other major higher education stakeholders in building the country’s human capital and innovation capacity towards the development of a Filipino Nation as a responsible member of the international community.
Mandate
Given the national government’s commitment to transformational leadership that puts education as the central strategy for investing in the Filipino people, reducing poverty, and building national competitiveness and pursuant to Republic Act 7722, CHED shall:
A. Promote relevant and quality higher education (i.e. higher education institutions and programs are at par with international standards and graduates and professionals are highly competent and recognized in the international arena);
B. Ensure that quality higher education is accessible to all who seek it particularly those who may not be able to afford it;
C. Guarantee and protect academic freedom for continuing intellectual growth, advancement of learning and research, development of responsible and effective leadership, education of high level professionals, and enrichment of historical and cultural heritages; and
D. Commit to moral ascendancy that eradicates corrupt practices, institutionalizes transparency and accountability and encourages participatory governance in the Commission and the sub-sector.
Powers and Functions
●Formulate and recommend development plans, policies, priorities, and programs on higher education;
●Formulate and recommend development plans, policies, priorities, and programs on research;
●Recommend to the executive and legislative branches priorities and grants on higher education and research;
●Set minimum standards for programs and institutions of higher learning recommended by panels of experts in the field and subject to public hearing, and enforced the same;
●Monitor and evaluate the performance of programs and institutions of higher learning for appropriate incentives as well as the imposition of sanctions such as, but not limited to, diminution or withdrawal of subsidy, recommendation on the downgrading or withdrawal of accreditation, program termination or school course;
●Identify, support and develop potential centers of excellence in program areas needed for the development of world-class scholarship, nation building and national development;
●Recommend to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) the budgets of public institutions of higher learning as well as general guidelines for the use of their income;
●Rationalize programs and institutions of higher learning and set standards, policies and guidelines for the creation of new ones as well as the conversion or elevation of schools to institutions of higher learning, subject to budgetary limitations and the number of institutions of higher learning in the province or region where creation, conversion or elevation is sought to be made;
●Develop criteria for allocating additional resources such as research and program development grants, scholarships, and the other similar programs: Provided, that these shall not detract from the fiscal autonomy already enjoyed by colleges and universities;
●Direct or redirect purposive research by institutions of higher learning to meet the needs of agro-industrialization and development;
●Devise and implement resource development schemes;
●Administer the Higher Education Development Fund, as described in Section 10 of R.A. 7722, which will promote the purposes of higher education;
●Review the charters of institutions of higher learning and state universities and colleges including the chairmanship and membership of their governing bodies and recommend appropriate measures as basis for necessary action;
●Promulgate such rules and regulations and exercise such other powers and functions as may be necessary to carry out effectively the purpose and objectives of R.A. 7722; and
●Perform such other functions as may be necessary for its effective operations and for the continued enhancement, growth and development of higher education.
