Address proliferation of teacher education diploma mills, CHED told

The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) yesterday asked the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to address the proliferation of diploma mills offering teacher education masters and PhDs.

- By BELLA CARIASO

The EDCOM 2 said based on a latest study, the hiring and promotion policies in government have contributed to the proliferation of poor-quality graduate education programs in the country, especially in teacher education.

The study, titled “Investigating the State of Graduate Education in the Philippines: Challenges, Opportunities and Policy Implications” authored by Anne Lan Candelaria, Eric Arthur Dio and Jovelyn G. De losa, was conducted through a research fellowship with Ateneo de Manila University.

The EDCOM 2 noted that the findings highlight a systemic issue wherein policy incentives designed to uplift educators are inadvertently degrading instructional quality.

It said that analyzing data from higher education institutions (HEIs) submitted to CHED covering the period from school year 2012-2013 up to SY 2023-2024, the investigation confirmed that more than half of the country’s total enrollment in graduate programs is concentrated in the field of education.