CSU University President Dr. Joanna B. Cuenca with other State University and Colleges President and PASUC officers and members attended the Higher Education week celebration of the Commission on Higher Education for the signing of the Covenant on Higher Education Reform on May 17, 2011 at the National Office of the CHED.

The Covenant signing was witnessed by the President of the Republic of the Philippines, His Excellency Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III.

The Covenant on Philippine Public Higher Education reform contains the following:

We, the Presidents of the 110 state universities and colleges of the Philippines are gathered today May 17, 2012 at the Higher Education Development Center in Diliman, Quezon City, in the presence of His Excellency President Benigno S. Aquino III, to manifest our commitment and support for reform in public higher education.

We are aware of the fundamental and long-running deficiencies of Philippine higher education: the lack of overall vision, framework and plan; deteriorating quality; and limited access.

We recognize that Philippine higher education should expand and enhance career and life chances and choices for students and that higher education and its institutions should be placed in the full service of national development.

We acknowledge the role of higher education in national development as an instrument for poverty alleviation and as a vehicle for technologically-driven development and competitiveness.

We accept the strategic thrusts of higher education reform of the Aquino government: to rationalize higher education, improve its internal and external efficiency, optimize resource utilization and maximize resource generation; improve quality and standards, raise the level of educational outcomes and increase the social relevance of its developmental functions; and to expand access to quality higher education among the lower income and disadvantaged groups.

Thus, we commit ourselves and our institutions to pursuing and institutionalizing the reforms proposed in the Roadmap of Public Higher Education Reform 2011-2016 as follows:

Rationalizing the number, distribution and growth of public higher education Institutions; Rationalizing program offerings; rationalizing resource utilization, maximizing resource generation and improving financial management; Strengthening quality assurance; upgrading qualifications of faculty; upgrading leading SUCs to international standards;  modernizing facilities of developing SUCs; strengthening student financial assistance programs; strengthening public higher education management through an Executive Development Program.

We further promise that these reforms as well as all aspects of our work will be pursued and performed with utmost honesty, integrity and ethical leadership and that we will be worthy stewards and partners in the great task of building our nation.
The covenant signing was also witnessed by the Chairman of the Committee on Higher Education in both the senate and in congress, Senator Eduardo Angara and Congressman Juan Edgardo M. Angara with TESDA Director Villanueva and DBM Secretary Abad. CHED Chairman Patricia Licuanan gave the opening remarks, emphasizing the relevance of the covenant signing.

Moreover, President Aquino also remarked that he will allot an additional 4.2 million for infrastructure development of SUCs.