MANILA, (PNA) -- The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Friday warned the nursing schools that will fail to implement the revised nursing curriculum next school year faces revocation of license.

CHED Commissioner Nona Ricafort revealed that nursing schools have until June next school year to implement the CHED revised curriculum for nursing.

“Reports reaching CHED head office indicated that some 30 percent compliance of all nursing schools across the country,” Ricafort said.

“By June next year everybody must comply and implement the new curriculum otherwise the commission may be constrained to revoke their license,” Ricafort said.

She said the one year deadline was provided to give all nursing schools enough time to consider its implementation.

Under CHED Memorandum Order No.5 series of 2008, setting the revised policies and standard curriculum for Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), the BSN program will remain a four year course with additional three summers and additional load of 43 units and related learning experience (RLE).

The RLE was described as the internship or the hands-on learning education of all nursing students prior to graduation.

Coordinating Council of Private Education Associations (COCOPEA) represent a consortium of private education institution in the country with more than 2,500 member schools including the five major school associations.

The COCOPEA wanted the nullification CHED memorandum raising the number of units required for BSN degree from 193 to 212.

Ricafort said Malacanang has directed CHED technical panel to submit the its position paper refuting issues raised by COCOPEA in objecting to the implementation of the revised curriculum.

She also pointed out that Malacanang has the final say whether the new curriculum will finally be implemented notwithstanding the one year deadline for compliance.

Earlier, Judge Esperanza Fabon-Victorino, of Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) junked COCOPEA’s petition for temporary restraining order (TRO) seeking to prevent the implementation of the new nursing curriculum due to lack of merit.

The COCOPEA claimed that of the 212 units for the nursing curriculum, only 87 units are general education subjects.

They alleged that this only mean that if a nursing student decides to shift to another course in his third year, he or she will be credited with less general education subjects in his new course resulting to a longer delay in his studies.

The group also pointed out that the professional courses under the new memorandum order were maximized to 125 units, of which 49 units are for related learning experience or RLE with a total of 2,499 exposure or contact hours.

Thus, they argued that three summers are added to the regular school year to accommodate all the additional units.

They also claimed that CHED, not the Technical Committee in Nursing Education (TCNE), is required to conduct the public hearing, since the TCNE is merely a recommending body.

Likewise, they said, CHED failed to hold a public hearing as mandated under Republic Act 7722.

CHED in countering the petition for TRO belied the allegations saying that they complied with the procedures and requirements in line with the recommendation of the Technical Committee on Nursing Education (TCNE), which are composed of experts in the field.

CHED also said that the BSN program would still have a four-year curriculum contrary to the reports that Nursing would be a five-year course after the implementation of CMO No. 5.

The Philippine Nursing Association (PNA), the Association of Deans of the Colleges of Nursing of the Philippines, and the Association of Private Hospitals in the Philippines, for its part, declared their strong support on the implementation of the CMO No. 5 despite COCOPEA’s objections. (PNA)