Arroyo okays publication of list of 'best performing' nursing schools http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/man/2006/10/11/news/arroyo.okays.publication.of.list.of.best.performing.nursing.schools.htmlPRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Tuesday approved the publication of the performance rating of all nursing schools throughout the country, in terms of student board passers, before the next enrollment to guide the would be nursing-students on the schools where they should go to.
Commission on Higher Education (Ched) chairman Carlito Puno, in a presentation to the Cabinet, said there are some nursing schools that averaged a zero passing rate and they want to stop students from flocking to such institutions.
He added that they are very concerned about "maintaining standards and ensuring the quality of nursing graduates."
Ched records showed that as of the current school year, there are at least 460 nursing programs offered nationwide to 386,531 nursing students.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said having the zero-passing rate schools "is something that is very worrisome because if you have these types of institutions, well you can see the quality of the education being parted."
Bunye, who is also Presidential spokesman, said by publishing the names and performance of the nursing schools, they are hoping to guide the "prospective enrollees" on the appropriate schools that provide better and quality education.
He denied that the idea is to "shame" the low performing schools.
Bunye said the publication would include the performances of the nursing schools in the last three years.
He shrugged off possible questions on the publications as it is already "a matter of public record" and making public of the performance ratings is "within the powers that are already enjoyed by the Ched."
Puno said aside from the publication, they would work with the Department of Education (DepEd) in coming up with an advocacy program on the nursing education intended for the graduating high schools students.
They would also insist on strict compliance with the Institutional Admission Policies to improve the screening and ensure that only the qualified students are admitted.
Puno also raised the need to improve the quality of instruction among nursing schools by coordinating with the health department in upgrading secondary hospitals to tertiary-based hospitals and conducting strict monitoring and continuous assessment and evaluation of all nursing schools.
The results of the evaluations would also serve as basis for the granting of developmental assistance like faculty scholarships, development of laboratories and other instructional facilities. http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/man/2006/10/11/news/arroyo.okays.publication.of.list.of.best.performing.nursing.schools.html
The Ched also recommended the provision of at least 100 scholarships for Masters of Arts in Nursing for the next five years starting in school year 2007-2008 to improve and ensure that only qualified faculty, clinical instructors and deans of nursing would be involved in the nursing education.
Puno also recommended the establishment of virtual skills laboratory which would help unclog tertiary-based hospitals, improve student-patient ratio and expose nursing students to state of the art technology including simulators to better prepare them in handling actual patients.
He noted that aside from the shortage of tertiary-based hospitals, most of the facilities are poor in standards. The tertiary-based hospitals are the more developed and modernized hospitals that also provide nursing education.
There are only 248 tertiary-based hospitals in the country with 83 of them government-run and 165 private ones. Puno said the condition results in a student-patient exposure ratio of 20 students to one patient.
Puno said an initial 47 nursing schools had been identified for the establishment of a virtual skills laboratory with P308 million to be loaned out to 30 schools which they would pay back three to five years.
The 30 schools identified as possible loan beneficiaries are the: University of Northern Philippines in Region I; University of La Salette in Region II; Regina Carmeli University and Southern Luzon Polytechnic College in Region III; University of Batangas and Adventist University of the Philippines in Region IV-A; Holy Trinity College-Palawan in Region IV-B; and Unibersidad de Sta. Isabel-Naga and Bicol University in Region V;
Aquinas University, University of San Agustin, Central Philippine University, University of Iloilo, University of San Carlos, University of the Philippines-Visayas, Western Visayas State University and Cebu Normal University in Region VI; Siliman University in Region VIII; Western Mindanao State University in Region IX; Liceo de Cagayan and Xavier University in Region X; San Pedro College in Region XI; Notre Dame university-Cotabato and the Mindanao State University-Marawi in Region XII.
Identified in the National Capital Region are: the Philippine Women's University, and University of the Philippines-Manila; the Butuan Doctor's College and Urios University in Caraga; and the St. Louis University and Benguet State University in the Cordillera Administrative Region.
Puno also identified 17 others colleges and universities that are capable of putting-up a virtual skills laboratory on their own which include: Lyceum Northwestern University;, St. Paul's University-Tuguegarao, St Mary's University-Bayombong, Angeles University, Baliuag University, University of Perpetual Help System-Biñan, De La Salle-Dasmariñas, Cebu Doctors' University, Ateneo de Zamboanga, Brokenshire College, Davao Doctors' College, Centro Escolar University, University of Santo Tomas, Our Lady of Fatima University Foundation, Trinity University of Asia, University of the East-Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, and the University of the Cordillera.
The recommendations were an offshoot of the leakage in the Board examinations for nursing last June which is still being investigated by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Bunye said an announcement on the proposed retake would be made as soon as a decision has been reached, assuring that it would be to the "satisfaction of all parties concerned."
Dante Ang, chairman of the Commission on the Filipinos Overseas, stood by his position that a retake should be held nationwide and should cover all examinees. He however said it is his personal position and he prefers to wait for the NBI's recommendations.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/man/2006/10/11/news/arroyo.okays.publication.of.list.of.best.performing.nursing.schools.html
