Three decades after its creation, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is still falling short of its mandate to guide the nation’s higher education system, according to a recent report from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), which recommends a sweeping evaluation of the agency’s performance and purpose.

EDCOM 2, the congressional body tasked with assessing the Philippine education system, raised critical concerns about CHED’s performance, noting that the agency has only “partially realized” its mandate even after 30 years.

In a recent hearing, EDCOM 2 emphasized the urgent need to review and strengthen CHED’s role, especially amid persistent gaps in quality, relevance, and oversight in the country’s higher education sector.

“Despite CHED’s clear mandate since 1994, many of its goals remain unfulfilled: excellence remains low, with little support provided to higher education institutions, especially private HEIs and local universities and colleges (LUCs),” EDCOM 2 Executive Director Dr. Karol Mark Yee said.

EDCOM is holding hearings throughout July 2025, consistent with its mandate under Republic Act 11899 to conduct a National Assessment and Evaluation of Philippine Education. This includes a review of how the mandates of the three education agencies—DepEd, CHED, and TESDA—have been observed.

Created under Republic Act 7722, CHED was envisioned to align tertiary education with national development goals. However, EDCOM 2 highlighted persistent issues, including a mismatch between academic programs and labor market needs, poor research output, and low accreditation rates.

According to EDCOM’s assessment, CHED has not designated new Centers of Excellence since 2016 and has provided minimal support for institutions pursuing voluntary accreditation since 2020—despite this being a legal mandate.

“Worse, since 2016, CHED has not designated new Centers of Excellence, and its policies have remained stagnant for the past nine years,” Yee said. “CHED has also failed to support HEIs in pursuing voluntary accreditation since 2020, despite its clear legal mandate,” he added.

EDCOM’s findings reveal that many issues flagged as early as the 1990s remain unresolved. Despite recommendations from the First Congressional Commission on Education, the disconnect between college programs and employment opportunities continues.

Accreditation rates remain low, and student enrollment is heavily concentrated in just three disciplines: Business Administration, Teacher Education, and Engineering.

Meanwhile, EDCOM 2 noted that the country continues to lag behind ASEAN neighbors in research output, with CHED’s interventions from 2000 to 2011 largely failing to reverse the trend.

During the hearing, CHED Chairperson Dr. Shirley Agrupis acknowledged the agency’s shortcomings.

“The ideal academic setup insists that if—and only if—the provisions of RA 7722 and 8292 are well-studied, well-implemented, and well-monitored, there would be no challenges. But this makes higher education governance more intricate than expected,” Agrupis said.

She agreed with EDCOM’s analysis, particularly regarding the mismatch between college degrees and job market needs. According to Agrupis, CHED lacks centralized data and in-depth analysis on industry and government sector demands for human capital.

“We admit that we lack a demand-driven and nationally coordinated human capital development framework,” she said. “We are refining this effort as we move forward,” she added. 

Agrupis confirmed that CHED currently has no centralized labor market data and no thorough analysis of workforce demands across industries.

However, the Commission is now collaborating with EDCOM 2 to identify priority areas for its upcoming National Education and Workforce Development Plan, expected to be released in November.

Former CHED Director Amalia Biglete also cited longstanding structural and legal limitations. “CHED was expected to perform both regulatory and developmental functions,” she said.

“But in terms of regulatory function, it was very challenging because CHED was not a quasi-judicial body… Most of the time, if we imposed sanctions, we would be met with cases filed before the Ombudsman—and even in court,” she added.

Biglete also pointed to limited personnel capacity and CHED’s heavy reliance on contract-based staff as major operational constraints.

EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said the agency should shift from micromanaging state universities and colleges (SUCs) to playing a more strategic role in ensuring education quality and workforce alignment.

“Let’s review CHED’s mandates… Some of these administrative functions shouldn’t go beyond the SUC boards. I believe SUCs should be empowered and held accountable for their actions. I really think this is a management and budget issue,” he said.

EDCOM 2 Commissioner Rep. Jude Acidre echoed the call, saying, “I think it’s only fitting that we update and strengthen CHED’s charter to make it responsive to today’s realities and tomorrow’s demands.”

The CHED hearing is part of EDCOM 2’s broader review of education agencies under Republic Act 11899. Hearings for TESDA and DepEd are scheduled for July 10 and July 17, respectively.

Present during the CHED session were EDCOM 2 Commissioners Gatchalian, Roman Romulo, and Jude Acidre; Advisory Council Members Dr. Cynthia Bautista and Dr. Nene Guevara; and CHED representatives including Chairperson Agrupis and Commissioners Marita Canapi, Ethel Agnes Valenzuela, and Desiderio Apag.

EDCOM 2 is expected to release policy recommendations to reform CHED’s structure and functions as part of its three-year education sector assessment.