MANILA, Feb. 12 -- The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Monday launched a research initiative to assess the admission system and retention of students in select state universities and colleges (SUCs) in the country.

In a press launch of the program at the CHED Auditorium in Diliman, Quezon City, CHED Chairperson J. Prospero de Vera III said the research, under the "Paglaum kag Pagdaug" (Hope and Victory) initiative, shall identify challenges and provide interventions to address the rising attrition rate among students.

"For those that come to the university, the attrition rate is still very high, meaning, we might be succeeding in bringing more people to university but many of them fall on the wayside and do not complete their e...