CHED lifts moratorium on off-campus activities

August 10, 2017

The Commission on Higher Education has lifted the moratorium preventing off-campus activities by the students but put in palce tighter measures, an official said on Thursday.

In a press briefing in Malacanang, CHED Commissioner Prospero de Vera III said for the past five months, CHED worked with the Departments of Tourism and of Interior and Local Government, Land Transportation Office, Land Franchising and Regulatory Board and the leagues of cities and municipalities to craft new guidelines that will cover all campus activities.

"So we’ve expanded the coverage of the circular of the Commission not only for field trips but all other activities that involve students when they leave their schools. And this includes not just --- not just field trips but students who go on competitions outside their school, when they attend conferences and symposia, when they do immersion programs, when they go on sports activities," he said.

"So all the activities that will require students to go out of their school, we have tightened the regulations and we’ve issued the CHED Memorandum Order No. 63 to cover now all public and private higher education institutions," he added.

CHED barred higher education institutions from holding field trips in February after a tragedy in Tanay, Rizal where 15 students died and 40 others were injured when a bus they boarded met an accident.

De Vera said CHED now requires higher education institutions to make sure and be accountable that when they send their students outside the university, there are faculty members or persons in charge to monitor the students.

"We will require them to have insurance for students, check the registration, insurance, franchise, and road-worthiness of vehicles used in the transportation of students, coordinate with local government units, because there have been incidents in the past, like in Bulacan State University, where students went on a field trip and the students drowned," he said, noting that the Ombudsman dismissed the president of the Bulacan State University because of such tragedy.

He said consent of parents and medical clearance would be required and "to make sure that universities provide alternative activities for students who cannot attend off-campus activities."

The moratorium was lifted effective August 8 after the guidelines were published 15 days ago. Celerina Monte/DMS