SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian has urged stronger action against diploma mills and substandard graduate programs for teachers, warning that such institutions undermine the quality of education in the country.

“We should never tolerate the proliferation of diploma mills and poor-quality graduate programs for our educators,” Gatchalian said.

“Institutions that exploit teachers’ desire to meet qualification requirements without genuinely improving teaching competence should be held accountable. It is our learners who ultimately suffer from this cycle of mediocrity,” he added.

The senator pressed the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to take decisive measures against higher education institutions that fail to meet academic standards, stressing the need to uphold the integrity of the country’s graduate education system.

“I urge the Commission on Higher Education to take decisive action against these institutions and ensure that all graduate programs uphold the highest standards of quality,” he emphasized.

“Ang mga guro ang may pinakamahalagang papel sa edukasyon ng ating mga kabataan. Kailangang tiyakin natin na nakakatanggap sila ng dekalidad na edukasyon at pagsasanay,” he further said.

Gatchalian noted that many teachers pursue advanced degrees to comply with promotion and qualification requirements, but some schools have taken advantage of this demand by offering low-quality, fast-track programs with minimal academic rigor.

He reiterated that safeguarding the quality of graduate education is essential to ensuring that teachers are properly equipped to deliver effective instruction — a critical step toward improving learning outcomes nationwide.