The Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has appointed Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), as Chairperson of the CHED Technical Panel for Agriculture (TPA).
CHED said it "has appointed new technical panel members in the fields of public administration and agriculture to carry out the mandate of the Commission to harness the equal representation of the academe, government and industry in curriculum reform and ensure that academic programs produce the needed manpower for local and international needs."
Photo courtesy of CHEDThe academe is represented in the TPA by Dr. Candida B. Adalla and Dr. Domingo E. Angeles, former College of Agriculture deans of the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB), and Dr. Danilo E. Abayon, former President of Aklan State University. Ms. Nikole Ma. Nimfa Alicer, farmer and founder of Kalipayan Farms, represents the industry. According to CHED, the TPA members representing the government will soon be appointed. Meanwhile, Dr. Aimee Lyn Dupo, UPLB Graduate School Secretary and Professor at the UPLB Institute of Biological, was appointed as a technical evaluator.
With a term of four years, Technical Panel members are expected to assist the Commission in providing technical expertise, particularly in the development of disciplinal and degree program roadmaps, CHED said.
CHED added that the Technical Panel members will also review, revise and update policies, standards, and guidelines (PSGs) based on the policy direction set by the Commission and consistent with local, regional, and international needs and industry trends.
The Technical Panel will also "develop or revise Policies and Guidelines on Centers of Excellence and Centers or Development (COE/COD) for the various disciplines and in the crafting of monitoring and evaluation instruments and systems, as well as orientation of technical evaluators."
On the other hand, CHED explained that the technical evaluators are group of experts and specialists whose main function is to monitor and evaluate compliance of higher education institutions with the PSG set by the Commission.
"The reconstitution of technical panels is anchored on the need to align higher education to standards, priorities and needs in international, regional, and national settings. The experts from academe, government and industry will assist the Commission in policy formulation and implementation consistent with the principles of transparency, accountability and participation," said CHED Chairman J. Prospero E. De Vera III.
Dr. Gregorio said he welcomes the challenge to lead efforts in reforming the agriculture curriculum in the country's higher education institutions (HEIs) to make it more relevant to the present and future job markets in the Philippines and abroad.
As agriculture remains a major engine of economic development in most Southeast Asian countries, Dr. Gregorio reiterated the strategic position of HEIs to pursue projects and initiatives related to food and nutrition security and their agility in designing their curricular and extension programs to produce professionals who can actively engage in achieving food and nutrition security goals.