Abstract:

The Philippines’ Maritime Education and Training (MET) system is currently producing approximately 30% of the global seafaring workforce. Although the need for seafarers’ supply will be maintained stable in the future, MET institutions in the country under discussion are currently facing an important problem: low success rate of their cadets. It is indicative that during the academic year of 2015-2016, only 19.73% of those cadets successfully completed all the requirements for graduation, a rather low figure. The analysis at hand examines how such a low success rate is understood from the perspective of governance in higher education, by identifying failures in the governance system. Under the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), 1978 as Amended, MET institutions are under the oversight of three government organizations namely, the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). In total, seventy maritime higher education institutions exist in the Philippines. Sixty-six of them are private institutions, where students pay out of their pocket for their matriculation, sundries, and other fees. Any hindrances associated with school management and administration could lead to an increase in tuition fees, which would then create an additional burden for students. Furthermore, a mismatch between governing authorities’ policies-expectations and the overall performance of maritime higher education institutions can be considered a governance issue, because poor performance is often a result of low level of supervision of those MET institutions. This study reflects upon a “bureaucratic” theory of organization and management and discusses how a poor level of governance is influencing negatively the success of marine cadets. This analysis is also factoring in the implication of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), in particular Goal 4 (Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all), to the observed challenges in maritime higher education in the Philippines. It broadly discusses the issue of governance within the higher education context and how quality education and training should be provided/monitored to improve the chances of cadets’ success. A conclusion standing out is that students’ success depends heavily on effective management by the instructions themselves, as well as their effective oversight by the respective government entities

Keywords:

Maritime education and training, governance, SDG 4, management processes, success.