Rizal 2nd District Rep. Fidel Nograles is among the new technical panel members in the fields of public administration and agriculture to be appointed by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
Nograles, a neophyte lawmaker, is a vice chairperson of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Higher Education and Technical Education.
“I vow to become an active partner in the CHED’s goal of raising the quality of higher education.”
“I am humbled by this new appointment, and I vow to become an active partner in the CHED’s goal of raising the quality of higher education in our country,” Nograles said.
Technical panel members serve for a term of four years.
According to CHED Chairman J. Prospero de Vera III, “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.”
The reconstitution is based on CHED Administrative Order No. 3, s. 2019 entitled, “Revised Policies and Guidelines in the Reconstitution of Technical Panels for Various Disciplines/Program Areas of the Commission on Higher Education.”
“Among the roles that I will have to take on is advocating for more funding for education.”
Nograles said the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a “forced rethink” of how education is conducted.
“We have an enormous challenge ahead of us because what has been a staggered approach towards distance learning has now become an inescapable reality. This is a reality where we are not allowed to hit pause—as the present continually shifts we have to employ creative means and craft a national strategy that can be implemented as soon as possible,” the Harvard-trained lawyer said.
The lawmaker also said that there will be an uphill battle for funding for the education sector, especially as various industries jostle for scarce resources amid an economic recession.
“Among the roles that I will have to take on is advocating for more funding for education. We cannot allow ourselves to fall into the trap of thinking we can sacrifice education because of our recovery efforts,” said Nograles.