The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Friday, April 18, officially announced the appointment of its new commissioner Ethel Agnes Pascua-Valenzuela.
“With Dr. Valuenzuela’s extensive professional experience in higher education, I am confident that she will be contributory in realizing the mandates and education objectives of the Commission particularly in transnational education and internationalization,” CHED Secretary Popoy De Vera said in a statement.
Valenzuela, the former Director of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), was appointed by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. as the new Commissioner of CHED.
CHED said the appointment papers were signed by the President on Thursday, April 18.
Valenzuela will serve the unexpired term of Dr. Jo Mark Libre, until July 21, 2025.
Libre was dismissed from the service upon the implementation of the order of the Office of the Ombudsman.
READ:
Valenzuela completed her Doctor of Education major in Educational Management at De La Salle University Manila, Master in Education major in Science Education at the Philippine Normal University, Manila, and Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education major in English and minor in General Science, cum laude, in Divine Word College of Calapan.
CHED said Valenzuela has over 20 years of professional experience in higher education as a faculty member and administrator in internationally recognized higher education institutions such University of the Philippines (UP) and De La Salle University (DLSU) and transnational education and internationalization.
Before her appointment, CHED said Valenzuela served as UNESCO Education Commissioner from 2003 to 2010 and as one of the Governing Board members of UNESCO’s Centre for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and Institute for Statistics (UIS).
Valenzuela also served as the ASEAN Education Advisor on the Future of Education since April 2023, providing overall leadership in the ASEAN Secretariat’s Future of Education Trend Reports and Policy Briefs covering Educational Transformation, Digitalisation, Teacher Education, Education for Sustainable Development and Inclusive Education for ASEAN 2050.
“She brought recognition to the country for being the First Filipina to become appointed as the Director of the SEAMEO Secretariat,” CHED said.
“She took lead in managing programs implemented in eleven member countries and 26 SEAMEO Centers in 10 ASEAN member states and was involved in various SEAMEO researches,” the Commission added.
De Vera noted that Valenzuela’s work with SEAMEO and background in transnational education will be “instrumental in implementing the Transnational Education law, assist increasing the number of Philippine HEIs in global rankings, and facilitate the implementation of the vision of President Bongbong Marcos for the country to continue producing world class graduates.”