House okays bill to boost postsecondary education

Saying the Northern Marianas College is a failure in developing local labor pool required to meet the islands’ needs for economic development, the House of Representatives has moved to remove barriers against establishment of new colleges here.

Legislation amending the statute that established the community college was passed by the lower house last Friday in a bid to encourage more postsecondary educational institutions to come into the CNMI.

HB 12-192, sponsored by Speaker Benigno R. Fitial, seeks to limit NMC’s powers to regulate the establishment of colleges as provided under existing laws.

In pitching the measure, he said the lone government-run college has failed to live up to its mission when it was set up in 1980 to provide training of the local people in areas where the CNMI lacks manpower.

Among these are teachers, nurses, engineers and tradesmen since these job categories are still being filled by nonresident workers more than 20 years since NMC’s inauguration.

“The college has failed in that mission ever since they decided to change course,” Mr. Fitial told last Friday’s House session, noting it sought a four-year educational institution when it has yet to satisfy the initial goals of strengthening the two-year associate degrees.

He said NMC officials continue to ignore concerns of the government on where it is headed since they have implemented programs that are not part of the original mission.

“We don’t want the college to produce scientists… We continue to lack teachers and nurses,” explained the House leader. “We’ve got a problem. This bill is one of the solutions. I hope this becomes law so we can invite competition because competition is a cure.”

The bill, which was approved by all 14 members present during the session, is now up for Senate action.

The House Committee on Education endorsed the proposal, citing the need to eliminate the restriction in order to promote the establishment of other colleges in the CNMI.

“To welcome new postsecondary institutions here to the CNMI would mean the encouragement of program diversities allowing them to offer added degree programs currently unavailable at NMC,” it said in a report.

“By this, students would be able to have a choice to a broader, more diverse, quality education having preference to a college or university that meets both their fiscal and academic needs,” it added.

The committee also maintained that new colleges, whether public or private, would help bolster student market as others from neighboring islands would come in to study, thus enhancing CNMI’s economic base.

Rep. Heinz S. Hofschneider, who held a series of oversight hearings on NMC over allegations of mismanagement in the 11th Legislature, said the measure could serve as “impetus” for the college to improve itself.

“It is appropriate to invite competition, but we must continue to monitor how we use taxpayers’ money [in running NMC],” he told the session.

The proposal came amid a plan by Eucon International School to open a college of its own on Saipan, which will offer four-year college degrees such as Bachelor of Science in Business, Nursing, Christian Education, Counseling, among others.