The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) said on Wednesday that 424 college students could lose their scholarships because of their institutions’ implementation of a “pass all” policy.
In a press release, CHEd Chairman Prospero de Vera III said students enrolled in 17 higher education institutions (HEIs) that had removed grade benchmarks during the pandemic-hit second semester of the previous academic year needed to have their grades verified, converted into a numerical grade, and submitted to CHEd by Oct. 30.
“The problem was caused by HEIs who did a ‘pass all’ policy in their second semester. I made it very clear in CHEd announcements that while the grading system of HEIs are determined and exercised by individual HEIs in the exercise of their academic freedom, any decision to adopt a ‘pass all’ policy must ensure that the interests of individual students are not compromised,” de Vera said.
De Vera was referring to the CHEd Merit Scholarship Program, awarded to students based purely on scholastic performance or grades in priority degree programs of the government.
Scholars under the program are required to maintain a general weighted average of at least 85 percent or its equivalent if they are a full scholar or 80 percent or its equivalent if they are a half scholar.
De Vera said the CHEd had requested HEIs to provide the numeric grades of their student-scholars. “Otherwise, they will lose their scholarships and may need to stop schooling,” he said.
“Applicants are ranked based on their Grade Point Average and those with the highest grades get the merit scholarship. If the HEIs will not give them numeric grades, what will be the basis to determine if the students will get financial assistance from the government?” de Vera said.
The 17 HEIs are as follows:
- Saint Mary’s University
- Bataan Heroes Memorial College
- De La Salle University – Dasmariñas
- STI College Rosario
- University of the Philippines Los Baños
- Cavite State University
- Mary Help of Christians College-Salesians Sisters Inc.
- Ateneo de Naga University
- Partido College
- Pili Capital College, Inc.
- Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology
- University of the Philippines-Visayas
- Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology
- Mindanao State University- Naawan
- Polytechnic University of the Philippines – Sta. Mesa, Manila
- University of Baguio
- Mindanao State University – Marawi John Ezekiel J. Hirro