The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is monitoring 177 nursing schools in the country which have not produce a single graduate who pas the nursing licensure exam in the last five years.

Chairman Emmanuel Angeles of CHED said this on his speech in front of the heads of colleges and universities in Metro Manila and other regions during the launch of CHED’s partnership with the Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig Foundation last October 23.

The commission aims to give these schools a warning and want them to excel more efforts in giving quality education to their students.

Aside from nursing schools, CHED were also monitoring 38 maritime schools for the same reason. CHED reminds all colleges and universities to monitor their students who will take licensure exams.

Angeles however declined to further explain their decision but noted that the performance of the nursing and maritime schools would have to be reevaluated before the CHED could take any action.

Angeles also said that warnings will be issued to nursing colleges and universities which had above zero but below the national average passing rates in the licensure examinations.

"We are encouraging our schools to phase out irrelevant courses,” Angeles said.

Last month, CHED announced that they would close down six law schools because they failed to produce bar passers amongst their graduates for the last five years.

He also expressed concern about the standard of higher education in the country, saying that "we are way behind our neighbors."