AUG.

2, 2013

NR # 3183

Institutionalize typology of HEIs in the Philippines

A lawmaker wants to institutionalize typology of higher education institutions (HEIs) by classifying higher education institutions, into a research university, specialized research university, teaching university, specialized college and associate college. Rep. Marcelino Teodoro (1st District, Marikina City), author of House Bill 459, said in order to broaden access to higher education, the government should promote the efficient use of resources by rationalizing the geographic distribution of HEIs and their program offering based on well-defined typology. The bill defines, typology as a system for classifying HEIs that shall guide government officials and leaders in rationalizing the distribution and operation of HEIs in the Philippines. Teodoro said typology should be used as a basis for evaluation of applicants for the creation, conversion or upgrading of HEIs, like the creation of a state college, conversion from the basic or technical-vocational school to college, upgrading from college to university or from university to a university system. Typology shall also be used for evaluating applications for authority to offer academic programs, allocation of State Universities and Colleges (SUC) budgets, and allocation of HEIs funds for institutional development, research, extension, and other grants or incentives, Teodoro said. Likewise, it will guide researchers, students, and policy makers in analyzing and making decisions regarding the higher education sector because typology will provide the basis for setting university/collegiate standards, allocating public resources and targeting development interventions for HEIs, Teodoro added. According to Teodoro, through typology, we could minimize program duplication between and among HEIs between public and private HEIs, among State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), and among branches within the SUCs. We could be assured of the optimum use of the scarce human and material resources in higher education toward enhancing overall capacities for instruction, research and extension, Teodoro said. Under the measure, HEIs shall be classified as University System and College System. University system is composed of separate but inter-related component academic units with at least one Research University or Specialized University and one Teaching University. It has both a research and a teaching arm. College systems consist of colleges that offer a wide range of programs mostly at the masteral level (non-thesis) or at the baccalaureate level; specialized college offering a limited range of program offerings, like normal college, technological college, science and technology college. The different types of public HEIs shall be publicly funded according to a Normative Funding Formula that shall take into account the classification, institutional performance, program quality, relevance and other criteria set by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). (30) jc