THE Commission on Higher Education remains the top performing agency and is trusted by Filipinos based on the latest survey of the OCTA Research, manifesting its effective and transparent implementation of strategic initiatives to improve the delivery of higher education programs in the country.

The OCTA Research December 2023 Fourth Quarter TUGON NG MASA Survey released on Tuesday showed CHED garnering a performance rating of 82 percent and a trust rating of 83 percent.

“The result of the latest OCTA survey is a manifestation of the effectiveness of the services and programs of the Commission. Despite the criticism on the feasibility of our programs, it’s assuring to know that the confidence of the people remained,” said CHED Chairman Prospero De Vera III.

The performance rating of CHED is highest in Mindanao wherein 88 percent of the respondents were satisfied with its execution and conduct of services

“CHED firmly believes that education, especially higher education, is the best anti-poverty strategy. Hence, our programs and initiatives are targeted to the poor and underprivileged, particularly in Mindanao which has the highest poverty incidence. This data from the OCTA research shows that the people felt and were positively affected by these programs” De Vera added.

Similarly, the trust rating of the Commission is highest in Mindanao as 91 percent of the respondents from the island group were satisfied.

In terms of socioeconomic classes, the performance and trust ratings of CHED are highest in D, with a performance rating of 83 percent and trusting rating of 85 percent, and E with performance rating of 82 percent and trusting rating of 81 percent.

“We have made higher education accessible to Filipinos. Our next goal is to make it equitable. The ratings are an attestation that we are gradually working towards an equitable and inclusive education wherein the poor and disadvantaged benefit the most,” De Vera said.

In the third quarter of 2023, CHED was also rated high in the trust and performance rating of OCTA Research.

Last year, it also received an unqualified opinion, the highest audit rating from the Commission on Audit for the implementation of its programs in 2022.

“Our achievements are products of a team effort. CHED succeeds only because its employees in the whole country work hard, and because our public and private HEIs efficiently implement Free Higher Education and other programs. So I thank the entire CHED workforce and the different HEIs for their good work,” De Vera added.

Other agencies rated high in the survey for both trust and performance are the Department of Education, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Health, and Department of Social Welfare and Development.