Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12) — The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said 424 students, whose schools adopted a “pass all” policy during the second semester, may lose their scholarship if they are not provided with numeric grades by Oct. 30.
These students, who are under the CHED Merit Scholarship Program (CMSP), are evaluated based on their academic performance, the commission said.
To be eligible for the grant, CMSP scholars are required to maintain a general weighted average “of at least 85 percent or its equivalent if they are a full scholar, or 80 percent or its equivalent if a half scholar.”
“If the HEIs (higher education institutions) will not give them numeric grades, what will be the basis to determine if the students will get financial assistance from the government?” CHED chairman Prospero De Vera III said.
According to the commission, there are 17 schools with CMSP scholars and grantees which have adopted a “pass all” policy:
1. Saint Mary’s University
2. Bataan Heroes Memorial College
3. De La Salle University – Dasmariñas
4. STI College Rosario
5. University of the Philippines Los Baños
6. Cavite State University
7. Mary Help of Christians College-Salesians Sisters Inc.
8. Ateneo de Naga University
9. Partido College
10. Pili Capital College, Inc.
11. Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology
12. University of the Philippines-Visayas
13. Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology
14. Mindanao State University- Naawan
15. Polytechnic University of the Philippines – Sta. Mesa, Manila
16. University of Baguio
17. Mindanao State University – Marawi
“I made it very clear in CHED announcements that while the grading system of HEIs are determined and exercised by individual HEIs in the exercise of their academic freedom, any decision to adopt a ‘pass all’ policy must ensure that the interests of individual students are not compromised,” De Vera said.
The commission said it has already asked the presidents of the 17 HEIs to give the 424 scholars and grantees numeric grades by Oct. 30, otherwise they will lose their scholarships and may need to stop schooling.
In light of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, a number of schools nationwide decided to give students an automatic passing mark during the second semester of the previous academic year.
Among the reasons behind the decision is the disparity in access to gadgets and internet among students, which put others at a disadvantage when it comes to fulfilling academic requirements amid the lockdown.
