Proposals cast doubt on future of nursing review centers

First posted 03:20pm (Mla time)
Sept 12, 2006
By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
INQ7.net

PROPOSALS to either incorporate the review for the nursing licensure examinations into the curriculum or allow only colleges and universities to handle review classes have placed the future of nursing review centers in doubt, Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) chairman Carlito Puno said Tuesday.

"If the decision is to incorporate it in the curriculum or only colleges and universities can operate them, then they (review centers) will be forced to close down," Puno said in an interview in Malacañang.

Puno said the two options have cropped up as dominant ideas in the CHEd’s consultations with nursing deans, review centers, and other stakeholders in the wake of the scandal triggered by the leak of questions in the June 2006 nursing board examinations.

Puno said review centers may also be taken over by colleges or universities should government decide that only these institutions can operate review centers.

Authorities are looking into the culpability of review centers in the leakage.

But the Palace had admitted it will be hard going after the centers because there are no regulations covering them. Review centers are presently not under CHED or any government department.

Puno said they would make a formal proposal to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on how to deal with the nursing reviews and are expecting the President to issue an executive order to make the proposal effective.

Puno said students typically enter review centers despite the hefty fees because they believe they can get tips from the centers.

Asked if the proposals could prevent leakages, Puno said: "I will be making a very controversial statement: Many of those who go to review centers do so because they believe they can get tips, that's the typical mentality of reviewees."

"Now if it would be run by colleges or universities, I doubt if there would be leakages," he added.
Puno said review centers usually charge 30 to 40 thousand pesos per student.

"Maybe that includes the prices of access to (question) leakage(s), but if you regulate the review centers, the probability of them bribing board examiners would be greatly minimized," he said.
Asked what his basis was for the observation that board examiners are being bribed, he said this was the “observation” of many people.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said the leakage of questions comes from the examiners.
But he said there is a strong "temptation" for the review centers to give in to the offers of examiners because topnotchers give them a good image.

"That's the highest selling advertisement that the center can say, if for example they have four top notchers," he said.

Lapus said tougher penalty should be imposed on examiners who would be found responsible for leakages.