CHED worries far-flung universities may not be as prepared as big ones for flexible learning

Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chair Prospero De Vera III on Thursday expressed concern over the level of preparation of small universities and colleges in far-flung areas for flexible learning.

At a press conference, De Vera said the CHED together with other big universities set up a program to train faculty members of small universities for flexible learning.

“A lot of big universities have been doing a good job in training faculty members, but there are close to 2,000 public and private universities in the country… I am concerned that the smaller universities especially in the far-flung areas may not be as prepared,” he said.

De Vera said these small universities do not have internal capacity to do the training program or have fewer resources in preparing for the resumption of class in August.

Due to this, CHED launched HiEd Bayanihan, through which well-prepared universities can input ideas to smaller universities through training programs for faculty members.

“We are going to target faculty members of smaller universities that have limited capacity to do training programs for their faculty members,” De Vera said.

Training providers include Philippine Normal University, De La Salle College of Saint Benilde, Central Luzon State University, Enverga University, Far Eastern University, and Tarlac Agricultural University.

Due to the threat of COVID-19, some universities will implement a flexible learning approach with reduced face to face classes to avoid the transmission of the virus. — BM/MDM, GMA News