BRANDING IN PHILIPPINE HIGHER EDUCATION: ROOTS AND MODELS Dr. Ethel Agnes P. Valenzuela SEAMEO INNOTECH (Philippines) and Member of the Technical Panel of Transnational Education, Commission on Higher Education

Who’s giving the Quality Brand? The Philippine Government is clear on getting a “ quality brand” for its higher education institutions. Quality brand is a national aspiration and embodied in several legislation

Why support “quality brands”? Over 1, 700 private higher education institutions under the supervision of CHED and 200 public HEIs and local colleges Almost 3 million higher education students enrolled yearly Over 1,000 academic programs in the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Context of Branding Philippine Higher Education

What do Filipino students and parents look for? Quality and accessible HEIs

SECTORINSTITUTIONAL TYPE WITH/WITHOUT SATELLITE CAMPUSES TOTAL Public SUCs Main111 Satellite260 LGUCs65 CHED-supervised schools1 Other government-funded schools 9 Special schools5 Total number of public schools Without satellite campuses 191 With satellite campuses 451 Private Sectarian358 Nonsectarian1,134 Total Number of Private Schools1,492 GRAND TOTAL WITHOUT SATELLITE CAMPUSES 1,683 WITH SATELLITE CAMPUSES 1,943 Distribution of Philippine HEIs

RANKDISCIPLINE GROUPPUBLICPRIVATETOTAL 1 Medicine and allied courses 43,899505, ,743 2 BA and related courses 160,736374, ,332 3 Education and Teacher Training 205,030151, ,546 4 Engineering and Technology- related courses 172,101154, ,753 5 Mathematics and Computer Science 83,674166, ,560 Top Academic Disciplines

Rationale for Government Branding of Quality Philippine Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs) Education Commission Survey (EDCOM) Report Philippine Commission on Education Reform (PCER) Trifocalization of Philippine Higher Education

Paradigm for Branding

Branding for Accountability  The Commission on Higher Education’s brand:  Center of Excellence - COEs  Center of Development- CODs

Center of Excellence (COEs) and Centers of Development (CODs) COEs are public of private HEIs that demonstrate the highest degree and levels of standard in instruction, research, extension, external linkages in providing HE professionals CODs are HEIS, public and private that have potentials to become COEs in the future

COEs … 1.Act as a role model/leader in local, regional and national arena in the delivery of the academic programs 2.Strong in research 3.Provide assistance to agencies and institutions within its geographical area 4.Develop pioneering instructional programs 5.Undertake basic and applied research

COEs … Have massive national and international linkages Develop quality programs which are within the strategic development plans of the government

CODs 1.Act as a role model/leader in local, regional and national arena in the delivery of the academic programs 2.Strong in research 3.Provide assistance to agencies and institutions within its geographical area 4. Establish linkage with COEs to further program development.

COEs/CODs Examples

Branding for Accountability  Qualifying for Application to Centers of Excellence Brand  Must have 3 programs with level III accreditation (FAAP)  At least 100 students each in the academic level  Has current and on-going research which leads to knowledge development

Criteria for selecting COEs Institutional Quality – 45% (admin/faculty qualifications, laboratory facilities, high performance in licensure examination for the last 3 years Research and Publication – 35%- (profile of researchers, on-going research programs, papers published in journals, papers published in full conference proceedings, collaborative research projects with local and international bodies

Criteria for COE Institutional Qualifications- 10%- vision, mission and goals, institutional development plans, comprehensive student services (guidance, dormitory, admission, publication, student organization, counseling services, social action activities and student leadership programs)

Criteria for COE Extension and Community Development- 10%- extension training over the last 5 years, fairs and demonstrations, information, education and advocacy, impact of community projects to the people, international and local partnership, institutional consultancies

Branding for AUTONOMY Autonomous Institutions Deregulated Institutions

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION of Autonomous and Deregulated Status 1. Established as Centers of Excellence or Centers of Development and or private higher education institutions with FAAP Level III Accredited programs 2. Outstanding overall performance of graduates in the licensure examinations under the Professional Regulation Commission. 3. Long tradition of integrity and untarnished reputation

Benefits of HEIs with Autonomous Status 1.Exemption from the issuance of Special Order (S.O.). 2. Free from monitoring and evaluation activities of the CHED. However, identified PHEIs shall submit requested data as part of the data gathering activity of CHED for its MIS. 3. Entitlement to grant of subsidies and other financial incentives/assistance from the Commission on Higher Education, whenever funds are available. 4. Privilege to determine and prescribe their curricular programs to achieve global competence.

Benefits of HEIs with Autonomous status 5. Privilege to offer a new course/program in the undergraduate/ graduate level/s without securing permit/authority from the CHED. However, the higher education institution must inform the CHED Regional Office concerned of the new course/program to be offered. 6. Privilege to establish branch/es or satellite campus/es without the prior approval of the CHED, but with information to the CHED-Regional Office where the new branch/campus is to be located. 7. Privilege to offer extension classes and distance education course/program to expand access to higher education, and to establish affiliation with recognized foreign higher education institution/s in pursuit of international standard of education 8. Authority to grant Honoris Causa to those deserving, per pertinent provisions of existing CHED issuance on conferment of honorary degrees.

Quality Branding for FUNDING The Commission on Higher Education’s provides subsidy and financial incentives to HEIs with  Autonomous  Deregulated  Center of Excellence  Center of Development  Higher Accreditation Levels

Other Incentives for Branded Institutions Exemption on Monitoring and Evaluation by the govt Curricular deregulation Freedom to link outside of the country for academic partnership and curricular enrichment Faculty and student scholarship Other research grants

New Trends in Branding  Increased marketization and competition- Trend of small players having a different brand/tune- more to recruit the masses- those who are in mid to low income status for increase enrolment

Trends in Branding of Phil Higher Education  Criteria and Guidelines for quality assurance in branding and using quality brands for international recognition of degrees (e.g. APEC and ASEAN MRAs)

Issues and Challenges  Criteria and Guidelines for quality assurance in branding- comparability across regions, countries  Presence of national information centers to disseminate quality brands  Harmonization of brands with the ASEAN Brands

Issues and Challenges  Professionalism and credibility of the board of reviewers- how to sustain and maintain  Link between funding and quality assurance – for how long will CHED sustain incentives???

Thank You!