Following findings that lax regulation has allowed “diploma mills” offering poor-quality master’s and doctoral degrees to thrive in the country, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is being urged by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) to intensify its oversight of graduate programs in teacher education.

In a statement issued on October 31, EDCOM 2 urged CHED to tighten its quality regulations on graduate programs, particularly in teacher education, after finding widespread low-quality offerings and the rise of so-called “diploma mills.”

In its latest study titled “Investigating the State of Graduate Education in the Philippines: Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Implications,” EDCOM 2 found that existing government policies on hiring and promotions—especially in the Department of Education (DepEd)—have unintentionally fueled the demand for poor-quality graduate degrees.

Conducted through a research fellowship with the Ateneo de Manila University and authored by Anne Lan K. Candelaria, Eric Arthur N. Dio, and Jovelyn G. Delosa, the study revealed that more than half of total graduate school enrollment in the country from School Year (SY) 2012–2013 to SY 2023–2024 is concentrated in the field of education.

This demand is largely driven by DepEd’s vertical qualification requirements and point-based promotion system.

The study warned that these policies have created a “diploma-for-promotion” cycle, incentivizing educators to pursue degrees primarily for career advancement rather than academic excellence or professional growth.

“Data from CHED show that in the last 10 school years, more than half of our country’s total enrollment in graduate programs is in the field of education,” the study’s authors—Candelaria, Dio, and Delosa—said in a separate article.

“Yet, our elementary and secondary students in the basic education sector have been lagging based on Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and Programme for International Student Assessment results in the last 20 years. In some of these years, the Philippines ranked at the bottom,” they added.

The authors highlighted the unintended consequence of this trend, saying that it “has also created an imbalance in terms of how we are able to produce graduates with specialized knowledge in areas such as mathematics and the sciences, which our public schools badly need.”

They added that this imbalance has deprived public schools of graduates with specialized training in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)—fields vital to improving national competitiveness.

EDCOM 2 Executive Director Dr. Karol Mark Yee said the findings reflect public frustration with how the current system rewards credentials over competence.

“There is a strong public perception that the pursuit of advanced degrees has at times become transactional—a means to gain promotion points rather than to enhance teaching competence,” Yee said.

“This sentiment is fueled by a perceived failure to properly regulate institutions, leading to a situation where, as many have pointed out, low-quality or 'fly-by-night' schools provide the same career benefits as high-quality universities,” he stressed. “This reality undermines the very purpose of professional development and points to an urgent need for systemic reform,” he added.

To address these systemic issues, EDCOM 2 called on CHED to intensify governance and quality assurance by adopting a tiered regulatory framework for higher education institutions (HEIs) offering graduate programs.

This, EDCOM 2 noted, would move away from the current “one-size-fits-all” approach and instead consider institutional capacity, program quality, and regional contexts.

The Commission also recommended that CHED regularly publish a “white list” of accredited and high-quality graduate programs to improve transparency and guide prospective students.

Meanwhile, EDCOM 2 urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to revise its promotion and qualification policies to ensure that graduate degrees are assessed based on program quality and institutional standards—not merely on CHED recognition.

“For a start, we recommend that CHED and DepEd jointly review the impact of the policy on vertical alignment of graduate degrees based on current realities to address systemic and structural inequalities,” the study’s authors said.

EDCOM 2 emphasized that addressing the root causes of poor-quality graduate education is essential to improving the country’s human capital and ensuring long-term, inclusive growth.

Created through Republic Act No. 11899, EDCOM 2 is mandated to assess and evaluate the performance of the Philippine education sector and recommend legislative reforms to address the ongoing education crisis.