HOUSE Committee on Higher and Technical Education Chairperson Rep. Jude Acidre on Friday presented a 10-point legislative agenda to strengthen Philippine higher education, in his keynote address at the first-ever AACCUP Presidents’ Summit held at Century Park Hotel, Manila.
Organized by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP), the two-day summit brought together State Universities and Colleges (SUC) presidents, vice presidents, and quality assurance experts from across the country under the theme “Quality Assurance and Accreditation: New Framework, New Directions in Higher Education.”
“These priorities are anchored on a single conviction: that higher education must be responsive to the changing times, inclusive of all learners, and aligned with the nation’s aspirations for sustainable growth and social progress,” Acidre said.
The ten priorities include:
- Modernizing the CHED Charter through a CHED Modernization and Governance Reform Act.
- Widening access and improving equity for disadvantaged learners.
- Driving digital transformation so no higher education or technical-vocational institution is left behind.
- Institutionalizing lifelong learning, flexible pathways, and micro-credentials to make education a constant in every Filipino’s life.
- Strengthening the quality assurance ecosystem to align academic excellence with labor market needs.
- Mainstreaming work-integrated learning and industry linkages to ensure real-world experience for graduates.
- Modernizing the TESDA Charter to keep technical-vocational education relevant and agile.
- Investing in faculty development and research capacity to raise academic quality.
- Strengthening public-private complementarity in delivering higher education.
- Championing student welfare and support services as central pillars of academic success.
“These are not just legislative priorities—they are commitments,” Acidre said. “Every policy we pass, every program we support, every reform we fight for—these must ultimately be for the students whose futures depend on us.”
He urged stronger partnerships between lawmakers, academic leaders, industry, and communities, stressing that progress “happens only when the vision we share is matched by concrete action in campuses, classrooms, and communities.”
