Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Tuesday asked the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the heads of all state universities and colleges (SUCs) to ensure the safety and well-being of their students and personnel as the country’s education system adjusts to the adverse effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

“In the implementation of policies, listen to the students, the parents, the professors. We all have to be in this together. Nandito po ang national government para tumulong sa inyo (The national government is here to help you),” Go said during a hearing conducted by the Senate Committee on Finance. (The national government is here to help you.)

While expressing his full support for the agency and educational institutions during the budget hearing, Go quizzed CHED about the low number of universities and colleges with Centers of Excellence, Center of Development, with recognized flagship program, with Autonomous or Deregulated status, or with Level III or Level IV accredited programs.

“Only 18 percent of Higher Education Institutions are with Centers of Excellence, Center of Development, with recognized flagship programs, with Autonomous or Deregulated status, or with Level III or Level IV accredited programs,” he said.

“Ideally, the more we have of these excellent educational institutions, the better the quality of our education,” Go said as CHED Chairman Prospero De Vera III emphasized that the quality of education is correlated to the level of government investment.

Go, chairman of the Senate Health and Demography Committee, also asked for updates regarding the agency’s initiatives to render services in the education sector via digital means, saying, “I am pushing for the country’s transition to the digital age through the E-Governance bill I filed. I see that CHED has been implementing initiatives to render services through digital means.”

“On this end, what are the primary obstacles which the CHED had encountered in its initiatives to use information and communications technology to improve the higher education system and how did you address these?” he asked.

While some progress has been made, De Vera lamented that connectivity is still low in many external campuses around the country.

He said the agency will need help from other government agencies to resolve the connectivity issues in various educational institutions nationwide. 

In July this year, Go filed a measure institutionalizing the transition of the government to e-governance in the digital age.

Senate Bill (SB) 1738, the E-Governance Act of 2020, mandates the government to establish an integrated, interconnected, and interoperable information and resource-sharing and communications network spanning the entirety of the national and local government, an internal records management information system, an information database, and digital portals for the delivery of public services.

The measure also pushes for the digitalization of paper-based and other traditional modes of workflows for a more efficient and transparent public service.

Under Go’s proposed measure, the heads of government agencies are mandated to comply with the requirements of the bill, including related standards for all ICT infrastructure, systems, equipment, designs, and other technologies promulgated by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). 

Go agreed that the education sector needs to be prioritized so it can recover swiftly from the COVID-19 crisis.

“I express my full support to the CHED and all the state universities and colleges," he said, adding that “education has been one of the hardest hit industries in our nation, and it is only right that we prioritize our education system as the country recovers from this crisis.”

Go reminded CHED to deliver on the President’s directive to help students who are children of overseas Filipino workers.

Last August 31, President Duterte announced the one-time grant of P30,000 as assistance to college students who are children of OFWs who were displaced, repatriated, deceased, or affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

“Paalala lang po sa lahat ng ahensya ng gobyerno: Dapat kung may binitawang salita, maibigay at huwag tagalan ang serbisyo. Siguraduhin nating matutupad ito,’’ he said. (Let me remind all agencies of government: “ If you have committed something, fulfill it and do not delay the delivery of service. Let’s ensure that this will be realized). 

The grant is intended to qualified beneficiaries who are enrolled or about to enroll in any state or private colleges and universities recognized by CHED.  An estimated 33,000 students are expected to benefit from this assistance.

CHED had earlier announced that an application for the Tertiary Education Subsidy for the coming school year may now be submitted .

The subsidy is not only for children of affected OFWs but also for other qualified college-level students, as provided for by the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act signed by President Duterte in 2017.