THE Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Tuesday said it is intensifying its investigation and regulatory action against illegal teacher education programs.
During a Senate hearing, CHED officials confirmed that teachers in Palawan were duped into enrolling in unaccredited courses for promotion involving an unauthorized extension program offered by a private school based in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
“It’s an illegal offering at Palawan,” CHED Senior Education Specialist Ericson Reyes said, adding that the matter has been referred to concerned agencies for action.
Reyes said CHED stepped up monitoring of graduate-level programs and has the authority to issue sanctions, show-cause orders, and recommend the closure of non-compliant institutions.
He said coordination is ongoing with the Department of Education (DepEd), the Professional Regulation Commission, and education councils to prevent similar cases.
As part of safeguards, teachers were urged to use the Philippine Teacher Education Registry, an online database that allows users to check whether teacher education institutions and programs have passed quality assurance standards.