The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is imposing a moratorium on school field trip following the fatal bus accident involving students Monday in Tanay, Rizal.
CHED Commissioner Prospero de Vera III disclosed during a press conference that the Commission En Banc has decided to implement a suspension of similar activities in all public and private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) until after the investigation on the Tanay bus accident on Monday has been completed.
On Monday morning, a tourist bus carrying college students from Bestlink College of the Philippines bound for a medical and survival training as part of their National Service Training Program (NSTP) subject crashed into an electric post in Barangay Sampaloc, in Tanay, Rizal. As reported, the said accident took the lives of 15 people – 13 students, one teacher and the driver of the bus.
The moratorium, De Vera added, will cover all “out of town, out of school field trips of all colleges and universities.”
Officials of Bestlink College have already been instructed to submit an incident report to CHED-NCR in order to determine if there were regulations violated.
“We want to hear from the school on the circumstances related to their trip and do a parallel investigation on compliance with CHED regulation,” said De Vera.
Meanwhile, De Vera urged that the involved school to cancel the said activity. It was reported that the rest of the students who were part of the said education trip were advised to push through with the medical and survival training despite the plea of parents.
This decision, De Vera said, is “insensitive and irresponsible as the trauma caused on students who lost friends and classmates need to dealt with and addressed immediately.” (Ina Hernando-Malipot)