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By Maila Ager, Reporter
Established in 1999, the Thames International
Business School describes itself on its website as “an
international college that offers access to premier foreign and
local degrees.”
Thames has its campus in upscale Eastwood City,
Libis, Quezon City. Besides “classrooms equipped with the latest
facilities and a fully equipped library,” the school boasts “a
500-seat auditorium.”
“Leadership, values and character are the
hallmarks of students who progress through Thames’ various
programs,” the website proclaims.
The glowing endorsement is not shared by a
number of Thames students. They complain about the poor quality at
Thames, despite the P40,000 tuition they pay every semester.
The students claim the instructors are only
part-time teachers and are employees of Allied Bank, which is owned
by the tycoon Lucio Tan.
Thames is allegedly owned by Vivienne Tan, the
tycoon’s daughter.
The students decline to come out in the open
with their complaints for fear of being expelled. They have instead
sought the help of the National Union of Students of the Philippines
(NUSP).
Raymond Palatino, NUSP president, said the
Thames students are facing a problem: They do not know where to
lodge their complaints.
Higher education authorities interviewed by The
Times admit that they are skeptical about the way the school
operates, but are not certain if Thames falls under their
jurisdiction.
Employees of the Commission on Higher Education
(CHED) referred The Times to four of its offices: the International
Affairs Service (IAS), the Office of Policy, Planning and Research,
the Office the Program and Standard (OPS), and the National Capital
Region (NCR) office on West Avenue, Quezon City.
The first three offices could not provide a list
of foreign schools operating in the country, saying they were not
the proper agency to do so. The NCR said what it has is a list of
such schools in Metro Manila.
But when The Times followed up with the NCR
office, a certain Dr. Marivic Eriberri, who identified herself as an
education supervisor II, said the office only has a list of private
schools that accept foreign students.
CHED deputy executive director Julito Vitriolo
tried to clear up the confusion. The information about foreign
schools is not yet available at the CHED Central Office in Pasig
City, he said. But he estimated there are less than 10 of them.
A CHED insider had tipped off The Times about
the existence of foreign schools which the source suspects may have
been operating illegally. The source named Thames as one of them.
CHED, the insider said, is not sure if Thames is
using a business permit issued by the Department of Trade and
Industry to justify its operation.
CHED chairman Rolando Dizon said his
jurisdiction covers only schools that offer four-year courses.
Schools offering two-year courses fall under the Technical Education
and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).
“I suspect the one you have just mentioned
[Thames] may be getting its permit from Tesda,” Dizon said.
When The Times inquired with Thames, the
school’s telephone operator said it offers two four-year courses:
Business Administration and Business Entrepreneurship.
The Thames website describes its BS
Entrepreneurship course as “a four-year trimestral degree program
approved by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), tailor-fit to
the Philippine setting and conducted entirely in the Philippines.”
As far as CHED is concerned, Thames’ claim on
its website is not entirely correct. Vitriolo said the commission
approved a memorandum order listing the policies and guidelines on
transnational education only on April 9.
According to Joel Santos, Thames director, the
school got CHED accreditation on March 17, 2002.
The CHED order allows transnational education,
defined as “the real or virtual movement of teachers, students,
courses of study and academic programs from one country to
another.”
There are two forms of transnational education:
distance education and the conventional foreign educational
programs.
Distance education may be offered only by a
“foreign higher education provider” (FHEP), which refers to a
foreign-owned and recognized higher education school, or in
partnership with a local agency or higher education institution (HEI).
FHEPs are allowed to open a branch or satellite
campus in the host country as well as introduce courses through a
franchise arrangement with a local partner. In both cases, the
degrees are granted by the FHEP.
CHED may authorize FHEPs recognized by the
countries where they are based to offer undergraduate, graduate and
postgraduate degrees.
For distance education programs, the FHEP’s
local partner must register with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on the recommendation of the CHED Central Office.
The Thames website lists nine “Thames
Centers” in the Asia Pacific region.
“Upon successful completion of the Advance
Diploma in Business Administration, students may opt to transfer to
the following universities in the UK, the US, Canada and Australia
where they can complete their studies and obtain an undergraduate
degree,” the website said.
Foreign schools operating in the country before
the memorandum order was created were given a year from the time of
its approval to comply.
New FHEPs and local partners, on the other hand,
shall comply upon application.
Vitriolo said graduates of foreign schools
established before the order can still seek CHED recognition so long
as they comply with the requirements within the grace period given
them.
“We came up with this policy after we noticed
the increasing number of advertisements last year about the
operation of these foreign institutions,” he said.
Once these schools are accredited, any increase
in their tuition can be regulated by CHED.
“They will also be required to consult [with
the students’ parents] and a tuition increase must be reasonable
and acceptable to both parties,” Vitriolo said.
Santos said Thames’ tuition is peso-based and
similar to the other top universities in the Philippines.
“In fact, Thames is even cheaper than other
Philippine schools. Furthermore, compared with other international
schools in the country, Thames is actually the cheapest. This gives
Thames students better value for money,” Santos said in a
statement.
He said Thames’ founders “set up the college
to make foreign degrees [which were once reserved for the elite]
accessible to upper-middle-class Filipinos.”
Thames students “have the flexibility to
graduate in the Philippines or in any Thames affiliate universities
abroad,” he said.
Those who want to get a foreign degree do the
first two years of their UK or Australian bachelor’s degree in the
Philippines before going abroad to finish the final one to two
years. “This is possible because the Thames educational
qualifications are accepted by the UK and Australian educational
systems,” Santos said.
In fact, 14 of the first batch of Thames
students are graduating in July and another 26 are still finishing
their studies in reputable universities in the UK and Australia, he
said.
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