MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines still fails to meet European Union (EU)
standards on maritime education, training and competency certificates, according
to the results of a recent performance audit, prompting Foreign Affairs
Secretary Albert del Rosario to raise the matter to President Aquino.
With the jobs of an estimated 80,000 Filipino seamen on EU-flagged vessels at stake, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has ordered the phaseout and closure of 123 out of 157 maritime training programs nationwide.
The move aims to avert an EU ban on the hiring of Filipino seamen. Read the full article here at Philippine Star newspaper
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/05/29/947538/phl-still-fails-meet-eu-maritime-education-standards
With the jobs of an estimated 80,000 Filipino seamen on EU-flagged vessels at stake, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has ordered the phaseout and closure of 123 out of 157 maritime training programs nationwide.
The move aims to avert an EU ban on the hiring of Filipino seamen. Read the full article here at Philippine Star newspaper
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/05/29/947538/phl-still-fails-meet-eu-maritime-education-standards
MANILA, Philippines—Maritime schools that continue to defy government orders to close down substandard training programs are putting all Filipino seafarers in danger of being banned from European Union (EU) member flagged vessels.
“We expect we will be prepared for the visits in October. We expect possibly less institutions to be visited because those we ordered for closure will not be there,” Licuanan said.
She said CHEd has taken steps to add more assessors after the EMSA team observed that 91 maritime schools can not properly be monitored if CHEd had only two to five full-time staff members.
“That’s a legitimate point so we’re doing catch up, we’re getting other personnel from other CHEd offices,” Licuanan said.
She said the EMSA team also observed that having assessors come from the industry or the academe might lead to a conflict of interest.
Licuanan said she explained that experts have been coming from the industry or the academe, since there is no separate profession for assessors.
“We’re in a better position because we know exactly which are the observed weaknesses,” Licuanan said.
“We will cooperate with whatever it takes. There’s no more turfing,” she added. Read the full article at this Link Philippine Inquirer http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/414199/ched-asks-maritime-schools-to-phase-out-substandard-courses
Substandard maritime schools warned anew
Maritime schools that continue to defy government orders to shut down their substandard training programs are putting all Filipino seafarers at risk of being banned from European Union (EU) flagged vessels.Ahead of an EU audit in October, the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) has ordered the phaseout of half of the maritime training programs offered by 91 schools since these did not meet quality standards.
Some of the affected schools, however, defied the CHEd and obtained temporary restraining orders (TRO) from the courts in order to keep operating.
CHEd Chair Patricia Licuanan appealed to the defiant schools to stop contesting the phaseout order for the sake of the “national interest.”
“This is really in the national interest. It’s the Philippines that will be seen as being noncompliant (with global training standards). We’re no longer talking about (individual) schools and programs. They certify by country. Even the best schools will be affected,” Licuanan said.
“So don’t get any more TROs. This is really in the national interest,” she added.
The Philippines is currently the leading supplier of seamen to the world, with Filipinos comprising about 30 percent of all seafarers globally, according to government data.
In 2011, the money Filipino seamen sent home amounted to around $4 billion.
Last month, representatives from the European Maritime Security Agency (EMSA) reviewed Philippine oversight practices on maritime training and deployment to check if the government had addressed deficiencies reported in 2010.
In reaction to criticism of having multiple oversight agencies, Malacañang designated the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) as the central implementing body of the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) for seafarers.
Other agencies involved in maritime training and deployment, including the CHEd, were placed under Marina supervision and ordered to align their evaluation standards to it.
The next EMSA inspection will be conducted in October where maritime schools will be inspected.
“We have too many (programs) of low quality, that’s the underlying problem,” Licuanan said.
“We expect we will be prepared for the visits in October. We expect possibly fewer institutions to be visited because those we ordered for closure will not be there,” Licuanan said. Read the full article at the Philippine Inquirer here http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/415335/substandard-maritime-schools-warned-anew
