‘Bogus' course
Tesda orders stop of Health Nursing Aide class at STI

By Florence F. Hibionada

A ‘stoppage'order is out on one of the city's more popular computer schools following the discovery of an unregistered course offered minus government-mandated permits.

Now on its second and final year of its first batch of would-be graduates, System Technology Institute (STI) Iloilo was further ordered to explain within five working days the reasons of the school's failure to heed and comply with the course requirements.

In a letter obtained by The News Today, Provincial Director Yolanda Porschwitz of the Techical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) wrote to STI administrator Michael Arancillo stating TESDA's “request” – “stop running Health Nursing Aide program until such time you have registered it with us.”

TESDA is a government agency tasked to manage and supervise Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the country by virtue of Republic Act 7796.  As such, it provides direction, formulate policies, develops systems and standards to ensure quality technical education and skills development. 

One of the programs implemented by Tesda is called UTPRAS, “a process of quality assurance which involves mandatory registration of program/courses to assure the public that Technical Vocational Institutions (TVIs) meet the training regulations and standards before they are authorized to offer such programs/courses and the conduct of Compliance Audit to monitor continuous compliance by TVIs of the minimum program requirements.”

“By running a non-registered TVET program, you are violating the provisions of the Tesda,” excerpts of the letter to STI stated.  “Moreover, your graduates will not be issued Special Order (SO) and Certification, Authentication and Verification (CAV).”

Added still was Tesda's stern message, “we will be constrained to advise appropriate authorities to cancel your business permit if you continue to offer non-registered TVET programs.”

The matter was officially brought to Tesda's attention by one Edna Barnadas, an STI Diploma in Health Nursing Aide student.