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CHED: 424 students could lose scholarships due to 'pass all' policy of schools
Some 424 recipients of the Commission on Higher Education's (CHED) Merit Scholarship Program (CMSP) could lose their scholarships if their universities and colleges will not give them numerical grades in the second semester of the previous academic year.
CHED made the remark in a statement last week as they called on the 17 higher educational institutions (HEIs) that supposedly implemented a "pass all" policy last semester to provide these scholars numerical grades.
Unlike the Tertiary Education Subsidy and Tulong Dunong grants, CHED said CMSP is granted to students based solely on their scholastic performance or grades in priority degree programs of the government.
They must then maintain a general weighted average of at least 85% or its equivalent if they are a full scholar or 80% or its equivalent if they are a half scholar.
“The problem was caused by HEIs who did a 'pass all' policy in their second semester. I made it very clear in CHED announcements that while the grading system of HEIs are determined and exercised by individual HEIs in the exercise of their academic freedom, any decision to adopt a 'pass all' policy must ensure that the interests of individual students are not compromised," CHED Chairman J. Prospero E. De Vera III said.
“CHED has already warned HEIs last June that students who are on merit scholarship and need numeric grades will be severely affected by HEIs that do this,” he added.
CHED has formally written a letter to the presidents of 17 HEIs to immediately provide these scholars with numerical grades or they will lose their scholarships.
The said 17 HEIs that have CMSP grantees but chose to adopt a "pass all" policy, according to CHED, are as follows:
- Saint Mary’s University
- Bataan Heroes Memorial College
- De La Salle University Dasmariñas
- STI College Rosario
- University of the Philippines Los Baños
- Cavite State University
- Mary Help of Christians College-Salesians Sisters Inc.
- Ateneo de Naga University
- Partido College
- Pili Capital College, Inc.
- Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology
- University of the Philippines Visayas
- Mindanao State University Iligan Institute of Technology
- Mindanao State University Naawan
- Polytechnic University of the Philippines - Sta. Mesa, Manila
- University of Baguio
- Mindanao State University Marawi
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“CHED has given these HEIs until October 30, 2020 to provide the numerical grades so that our CHED Regional Offices can properly evaluate the GWA of the scholars and determine their eligibility to continue,” De Vera said.
In response to CHED's statement, Fr. Roberto E.N. Rivera, SJ, president of the Ateneo De Naga University, on Friday clarified that the school did not adopt a "pass all" policy wherein the semester would be terminated and all students would be given a non-numerical grade.
What the school did, he said, was to continue finishing the semester through flexible and online learning and give a grade of "P" (pass grade) to students who could not participate in the online classes "as an act of compassion."
"Nevertheless, numeric grades were strongly recommended for all students, especially those fulfilling requirements for quota courses, board exam preparations, academic honors, and scholarship qualifications," he added.
Rivera also said the AdNU College Admission and Aid Office reminded all scholars toward the end of the semester that CHED Region 5 still had no definitive response yet whether "pass" grades would be accepted for the requirements of their scholarships, and thus were asked to avail of numerical grades.
However, despite this reminder, 119 of the 146 CHED merit scholars in the school chose to avail of a grade of "P" in some, if not all, of their subjects in the previous semester, he added.
Rivera, nevertheless, assured CHED that due to the continuous conduct of classes, AdNU will have an objective basis to give numerical grades for most of the scholars, in time for the deadline given by the commission to HEIs to provide numerical grades to scholarship grantees.
"The Ateneo de Naga University takes this opportunity to affirm its commitment to sustaining higher education during this pandemic crisis and beyond. We also assure the public of our special and preferential care for our disadvantaged students, including our scholars," he said.
In a separate statement on Saturday night, CHED acknowledged that AdNU did not solely implement a "pass all" policy, and that its students were given the choice to opt for a non-numerical grade or a grade of "P".
It also recognized that the De La Salle University Dasmariñas likewise did not implement such policy but instead, each academic department was allowed to develop a grading system.
"While the Commission recognizes the options given by these HEIs for faculty members to give either a "pass" or numeric grade to their students, it is imperative that numeric grades be given to all CHED merit scholars so that they can be properly assessed to determine if they can continue to enjoy their scholarship benefits," the commission said. —Erwin Colcol/KG, GMA News