Schools across the Philippines can now hold classes entirely online after the Commission on Higher Education approved a policy giving all higher education institutions the option to go fully digital in response to the energy crunch tied to the Middle East conflict.
The move, announced by CHED Chairperson Shirley Agrupis, falls under the agency’s “Academic Sustainability Plan” and draws from flexible learning guidelines first established during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also supports the Marcos administration’s energy conservation drive under Office of the President Memorandum Circular No. 114, which called on government agencies and institutions to cut power consumption amid climbing global fuel prices.
Agrupis said the decision, approved on April 6, effectively lifts earlier caps on online instruction. Under pandemic-era rules, private institutions were capped at a 50-50 split between online and face-to-face learning, while state universities and colleges were limited to 25% online delivery. Those ceilings no longer apply.
“We just approved yesterday that we are giving the full flexibility of all higher education institution to adhere to the previously issued COVID-19 pandemic CMO. But on top of that, depending on their perceived readiness to offer the pure online, sila na iyong mag-de-determine,” Agrupis said.
She was clear, however, that choosing to go fully online does not automatically confer formal recognition under CHED’s Online Distance Education Learning framework — a separate accreditation process with its own requirements.
“There are some procedures and requirements for a university to apply so that they will be recognized and credited as a school who can deliver pure distance learning,” she said.
“But it does not necessarily mean that if they offer na 100% online teaching and learning management system, ay hindi ibig sabihin na automatic na certified na sila for the ODEL program,” she added.
Agrupis said the policy is aimed at easing the strain on students, teachers, and institutions from the combined burden of commuting costs and rising electricity bills. She cautioned, though, that schools should only transition to full online delivery if their IT infrastructure is adequate and their faculty are equipped to teach effectively in a digital setting, warning that learning outcomes must not suffer.
Courses with laboratory components are already covered under provisions within CHED’s earlier memorandum order, Agrupis noted. The agency described the measure not as a one-time response but as a reactivation and expansion of an existing framework.
