CHED lifts moratorium on off-campus activities

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has lifted its moratorium on school's off-campus activities, but stricter guidelines on such trips will be imposed.

In a briefing in Malacañang on Thursday, CHED Commissioner Popoy De Vera said the suspension on higher education institutions' off-campus activities was lifted on August 8.

CHED imposed moratorium on field trips and educational tours in February following a deadly bus accident in Tanay, Rizal, that killed 15 people, mostly students.

De Vera said the CHED will instead just impose stricter guidelines on off-campus activities.

"We will require them to have insurance for students, check the registration, insurance, franchise, and road-worthiness of vehicles used in the transportation of students and coordinate with local government units for their safety," he said.

"So we are requiring - aside from the written consent of parents and if needed, medical clearance for students that participate in field trips and other out-of-school activities  - for universities to provide alternative activities for students who cannot for one reason or another - participate in the off-campus activities," De Vera added. —KBK/KVD, GMA News