NURSING SCHOOLS ISSUE

The Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities  (PACU) initially won its battle against the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in connection with the latter’s two resolutions setting minimum limits to percentage of graduates for schools  to retain their licenses to operate. 

A Regional Trial Court in Dagupan City has granted the petition of PACU to stop the enforcement of   the two questioned resolutions.

The temporary restraining order issued by RTC Judge Roland Mislang effectively stopped CHED from implementing its Resolution No. 475 s. 2004 which set a minimum of eight per cent passing of graduates of educational institutions in government licensure examinations and Resolution NO. 120 s. 2005 which set the minimum 30 per cent passing for nursing board examinations.

In his resolution, Judge Mislang enjoined CHED from implementing its two questioned resolutions and from issuing further statements in media, print or television or through Internet or through any forum that is derogatory or damaging to the petitioner-intervenor. 

The petition for civil action   filed against the CHED by the University of Luzon represented byits Acting President Dr. Mac Arthur Samson and joined by PACU and the Dagupan-based Lyceum Northwestern University as petitioners-intervenors.

The petition for certiorari, prohibition and damages with prayer for temporary restraining order had sought to restrain CHED from enforcing its two questioned resolutions that further provided sanctions to schools whose examinees cannot meet the minimum percentages set by the Commission for passing government’s licensure examinations.

PACU is an organization of 142 colleges and universities all over the Philippines which deemed  that all the issues pertaining to the two questioned resolutions of CHED be now resolved in its entirety  before  the RTC in Dagupan.  

In a related development, Lyceum Northwestern University, through its president Dr. Gonzalo Duque, filed on Mar 22 this year a criminal complaint for libel against top officials of CHED and The Manila Times, for publishing an article which Duque said tended to cast aspersion on the integrity of LNU’s nursing school as an educational institution.

The Manila Times article was entitled   “CHED to phase out 32 nursing schools” and quoted Dr. Catherine Castañeda of the CHED’s office of programs and standards.       

At a news conference Thursday at his office, Duque said he filed the criminal complaint against the parties because his school was affected by the publication of said article.

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