THE MARITIME Industry Authority and the Commission on Higher Education will monitor maritime schools to ensure that they are well equipped and implement the enhanced curriculum that meets the standards set by the European Union.

In a press briefing in Malacañang on Tuesday, MARINA Administrator Hernani Fabia said that the deficiencies identified by the EU are on monitoring, supervision and evaluation of manning training and assessment; examination and assessment of competence, programs and course design and approval; availability and use of training facilities and simulators; onboard training and issue revalidation and recognition of certification endorsements.

To resolve this, CHED Chairperson Prospero De Vera III said that MARINA, his agency and other maritime institutions collaborated on the creation of an enhanced curriculum.

“We must make sure it is implemented correctly so the enhanced curriculum satisfies compliance with standards of the STCW (International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers),” the CHED chief said.

De Vera also highlighted the importance of having the necessary equipment and trainers in Maritime schools.

“We must be able to monitor all the maritime schools not just in implementing the curriculum but making sure they have the equipment that is necessary, they have competent teachers, they have good facilities so that the intended competencies and outcomes can be measured correctly and satisfy the standards of EMSA (European Maritime Safety Agency),” he said.

The instruments of monitoring and evaluation, according to De Vera, must also meet the standards of both the Philippines and the EU.

The government will also ensure that onboard and shipboard training is available.

“We must make sure that all the requirements to produce a good seafarer are there including onboard or shipboard training so that we make sure at the end of the whole process, we produce seafarers that are up to the standards – international standards,” De Vera said.

CHED has declared a five-year moratorium on new programs to be able to focus on the evaluation of the existing programs.

“Ibig sabihin, for the next five years starting when we declared it last year, we will not allow any new maritime programs to be opened so that we will be able to focus on evaluating the existing programs. Mahirap kasi kung wala kang moratorium, habang ini-evaluate mo iyong existing nag-i-evaluate ka din ng bago, parang walang katapusan iyan,” De Vera said.