CHED suspends field trips, educational tours

  • Page Views 3048
  • The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has ordered the suspension of field trips and educational tours following the death on Monday of 13 students of Bestlink College in a road accident in Tanay, Rizal.

    The suspension order came after CHED commissioner Prospero de Vera filed a request at the en banc on Tuesday to issue a moratorium on field trips and educational tours.

    According to a statement from the commission, de Vera said the moratorium will allow the commission to investigate the tragedy and review current policies on field trips.

    Educational tours are regulated by CHED Memorandum Order No. 17, which also requires colleges and universities to inform the CHED regional office of such trips a month before they are held.

    “While it is true that field trips are essential to give students the opportunity to see and explore new things, enhance their learning experience in a natural setting, and provide for interest-driven and hands-on training, the safety of the students on field trips must be ensured at all times by school authorities,” de Vera said.

    CHED ordered the officials of Bestlink College to submit an incident report immediately, which would help determine whether its regulations were violated.

    “We will expedite the necessary investigation to determine if proper procedures were observed by school authorities, impose the necessary sanctions, if warranted, and determine whether existing policies adequately protect the safety of students,” the commissioner said.

    De Vera also slammed the college for continuing the activity despite the tragedy.

    Bleak future for some injured students

    Some of the injured students are still undergoing observation at the Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center in Marikina City due to serious injuries they sustained from the accident.

    Even though they survived, their future in terms of employment looks bleak.

    The 24-year-old Mark Barcelona, who is conscious but unable to speak, lost his left eye and a part of his brain was missing after his skull got fractured.

    The orphan Ariel Vergara was paralyzed from the waist down. When he met the accident, he was juggling his work as a sales assistant and his studies at the same time, being the eldest of three siblings. At first, he said he didn’t want to join the camp training but was required by his professors as part of the school’s National Service Training Program (NSTP).

    According to CHED, Bestlink’s activity falls under the NSTP but to threaten a student with an incomplete grade if he doesn’t join the activity is not right.

    CHED commissioner De Vera said that even if there was a signed waiver, it does not absolve the universities completely of any liability. (K. Imson, TV5, Interaksyon)

    Share

    New Posts Recently publish post More

    • 21 March 2024
      1 week ago No comment

      Canada eyes space cooperation with Philippines

      The Philippines held its first space cooperation conference on March 19, 2024 as the country seeks to explore opportunities presented by the heavens. The conference was organized by the Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute for Strategic and International Studies, a Metro Manila-based think-tank; the fledgling Philippine Space Agency; and ...

    • 14 March 2024
      2 weeks ago No comment

      Mable endorses campaign for Benson Flores marker

      Mable Elmore is supporting the campaign to raise funds for a memorial marker for pioneer immigrant Benson Flores. Elmore is the Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Vancouver-Kensington, which is also home to Mountain View Cemetery where Flores is buried in an unmarked grave. MLA Elmore ...

    • 07 March 2024
      3 weeks ago No comment

      Quiboloy church linked to fake marriages in Canada

      Some 100 allegedly fraudulent marriages in Canada are connected to the religious group led by the spiritual adviser of now former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte. This stunning allegation was made on March 5, 2024 by Dindo Maquiling, a former follower of Apollo Quiboloy. Maquiling is a former executive director ...

    • 07 March 2024
      3 weeks ago No comment

      MP Valdez Visits Vancouver

      Liberal MP Rechie Valdez visited Vancouver to meet with BC Business owners at the Dubai National Air Travel Agency (DNATA) Catering in Richmond recently. The meet and greet was an opportunity for local businesses to dialogue directly with Valdez whose portfolio includes small businesses. The roundtable discussion was led ...

    • 29 February 2024
      4 weeks ago No comment

      Minimum wage increases to $17.40 an hour on June 1 VICTORIA

      For Immediate Release Feb. 26, 2024 VICTORIA – B.C.’s lowest-paid workers will get a pay raise when the general minimum wage increases from $16.75 to $17.40 per hour on June 1, 2024. This represents a 3.9% increase, consistent with B.C.’s average rate of inflation in 2023. The alternate minimum ...

    %d bloggers like this: