After a decade, CHED has finally lifted the BS Nursing program moratorium in the Philippines.

In view of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) announced the easing of the moratorium on new nursing undergraduate programs.

A moratorium on opening all undergraduate and graduate nursing programs for both public and private HEIs was imposed by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in 2010, and it became effective for the academic year (AY) 2011–2012 and its succeeding academic years. As CHED claimed, this would result in graduates who did not receive high-quality training and education.

In a virtual press conference on Wednesday, 13th of July 2022, CHED Chairperson Popoy De Vera announced lifting the moratorium on undergraduate and graduate Nursing programs in higher education institutions (HEIs) after more than a decade. The moratorium applies to BS Nursing, MA Nursing, Master of Nursing, and Ph.D. Nursing.

“Yesterday, the commission en banc, after a very thorough review and study of the moratorium on nursing, decided to lift the moratorium on nursing based on an exhaustive discussion,” Prospero de Vera III, the chair of CHED, remarked during a press conference.

Chairperson Popoy De Vera urged State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and CHED-recognized Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs) to apply for new BS Nursing programs to increase access for deserving students. Institutions offering BS Nursing degrees are urgently needed in Mimaropa, Eastern Visayas, Caraga, BARMM, CAR, and Socksargen, according to CHED.

Similarly, SUCs and CHED-accredited LUCs are encouraged to incorporate return service agreements in their admission and retention policies to enhance the number of nurses in their respective regions.