CHED closes 2 'substandard' programs of PMI Colleges

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) belatedly revealed Saturday evening its October 14 notice on its decision to shut down the BS Marine Transportation and BS Marine Engineering programs in the Quezon City and Manila campuses of PMI Colleges. The CHED said the two programs failed to comply with the Standards of Training, Certification & Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention and with the CHED minimum standards. "Thus, no new students shall be admitted to the said programs, and the students of the other year levels shall be transferred to other CHED-compliant and recognized programs that shall accept said students," CHED executive director Julito Vitriolo said in the notice to the public dated Oct. 14 but posted on the CHED's Facebook page only Saturday night. Vitriolo said the college school failed to rectify deficiencies noted from 2006 to 2011. He said the CHED denied last Sept. 12 the school's motion for reconsideration. With the order, the CHED allowed its Metro Manila office to facilitate the efficient transfer of students affected by the phaseout to other recognized maritime higher education institutions (HEIs) in the region. The notice will not affect the programs’ graduating students in the current academic year. — ELR, GMA News