The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) is the biggest organized group of Catholic schools in the country, with about 1,252members. Instituted in 1941, the institution antedates the creation of the Episcopal commission, which now carries it under its wing.
COCOPEA Statement on Tuition
1. The consolidated bill regulating tuition increases is predicated upon Section 1 of Article XIV of the Philippine Constitution which provides as follows:
"The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all."
Clearly it is the duty of the State to provide quality education to its citizens. It is likewise the duty of the State to make such education accessible to all.
The above-cited Constitutional provision, read in relation to Sec. 2 (2) of the same article of the Philippine Constitution which provides for a "free public education in the elementary and high school levels" reveals that the State implicitly recognizes its financial incapacity to free tertiary education.
This constitutional mandate to provide quality education is the duty of the State acting through its government. But because of its financial incapacity, this duty has been fulfilled by the private education institutions.
To deny private educational institutions of their financial wherewithal would deny them of the resources needed to support programs and developments way above the standards required by the Government.
A moratorium on the increase in tuition fees or an unreasonable restriction in determining the rate thereof will only result in a drop in the quality services or, worse, a closure of schools and programs.
» read more/download
Position Paper on the Nursing Curriculum
The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) is supportive of any proposed reforms to improve the quality of education in the country as long as proper consultations and due diligence are undertaken.
COCOPEA’s position is anchored on two guiding principles: Workable student load of 192 units in eight semesters and maximum transferability for students.
Workable Student Load
Maintaining 192 units for Nursing Students enables them appropriate time to assimilate the knowledge seeded them. The proposed enhanced curriculum with 205 units not only will require nursing students to attend summer school, it also limits their absorptive capacity. One solution to resolving the difference is to have the Community Health Nursing course accredited as one of the 5 or 6 units of the NTSP. Another option is to lower the required Physical Education units from 8 to 4.
Maximum Transferability
It is not uncommon for a sizeable number of nursing students to shift to different programs. To enable them to keep their earned credits from their general education courses, these courses should keep their generic names. Courses referred to are Statistics, Chemistry, Ethics, Informatics and the like. These subjects, in turn, may devote certain modules to nursing cases and examples. In this way, students are enabled maximum transferability while providing them the academic foundation they will need to pursue Nursing.
» read more/download
|
