SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian is pushing for the establishment of mandatory guidelines to ensure that local universities and colleges (LUCs) meet national quality standards before they are allowed to operate.

During a hearing of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education, Gatchalian revealed that 59 out of 170 LUCs nationwide currently lack institutional recognition from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

The senator noted that the issue often arises when some local government units establish LUCs without first securing CHED approval.

“If the LUCs do not have institutional recognition from CHED, it means that they have yet to satisfy the quality or other requirements from CHED. What we aim to do is to have a framework for the establishment of LUCs to make sure that from the onset, they are already capable of providing quality education,” Gatchalian said.

To address this gap, Gatchalian has filed Senate Bill No. 623, which seeks to set mandatory guidelines for the establishment and operation of LUCs.

Under the proposed measure, local government units intending to establish LUCs would be required to secure institutional recognition from the appropriate CHED regional office before they can begin operations.

Institutional recognition is granted only after an institution meets minimum quality standards, ensuring that schools are properly equipped to deliver adequate academic instruction and student services.