Comparative study of accreditation agencies of higher education institutions in the Philippines.

Abstract

In the 21st century, quality of education has always been an utmost concern especially when educational providers and institutions come to arrive in gargantuan. Education is seen as a pivotal instrument in nation-building and advancement. Higher education institutions throughout the world are becoming more diverse and complex. Critical to its role to development, government, private institutions and other concerned sectors have developed measures in order to offer good quality education. One form of this quality assurance mechanism is accreditation. Accreditation is not young in the Philippine setting. During the early years of 1950s, the country already embraced this process of quality assurance. The government recognized its role in improving the standards of education and in determining institutions which offers quality education. Through time, different accreditation agencies have organized and developed their own system of quality assurance. They differ in nature, steps, fees, peer evaluators and survey instruments they used in the process. Some of the leading universities in the country, especially the private institutions, recognized the role and essence of having accredited degree programs. The process entails a lot of preparation and requires huge funding. This study discusses the nature, standards and mechanisms of different accreditation agencies in the country. The benefits of having accredited courses or schools are also tackled in the study. The role of accreditation agencies in uplifting the standards of education in the country is essential in sustaining the globally competitive world.