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By James Konstantin Galvez, Reporter
In a move to maintain the integrity of the
professional exams in the Philippines, the Commission on Higher
Education (CHED) chief warned review centers to comply with an order
for them to integrate with existing schools.
“We have already extended it [deadline] for
six months at the request of the review center organizations. We may
not re-extend,” said acting commission Chairman Romulo Neri.
Earlier, the Federation of Accredited Review
Centers of the Philippines filed a petition asking commission to no
longer extend the deadline, saying that the agency is giving the
impression that it is incapable of cleaning up the reputation of
review centers.
Neri said the commission is scheduled to meet
today to discuss the issue.
In a letter to Neri, Engr. Santos Cuervo from
the Excel Review and Training Center said, “Recent scams, such as
the Civil Engineering Board Exam last November 2007 that resulted in
the re-examination of two subjects, could be prevented if review
centers are under strict monitoring and supervision of CHED.”
Out of the 800 review centers across the country
that are registered with the Department of Trade and Industry, only
20 have secured permits from the Commission on Higher Education.
In 2006, the governments of the US, Great
Britain and Australia warned that they will bar Filipino
professionals from getting hired in their respective countries, as a
consequence of the scandals that involved cheating and leakages.
The government will not hesitate to close down
review centers that do not comply with Executive Order 566, said the
commission’s Deputy Executive Director Julito Vitriolo.
He said the government’s main concern is to
inform students and their parents about which review centers are
legitimate.
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