Dalog to MPSPC: Complete papers for university status

EDUCATION TRENDS

Erlindo Agwilang

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- Barely seven months before the validity period set by Republic Act 10583 for Mountain Province State Polytechnic College here to comply with requirements of Commission on Higher Education to attain university status, officials of the institution were urged to hasten completion of requirements.

Rep. Maximo B. Dalog, author of the law converting the institution into a state university asked MPSPC president Rexton F. Chakas to make those responsible in the completion of the requirements work harder to hasten requirements like those on accreditation, libraries, laboratories, outreach and linkages.

During latest hearing of the House committee on higher and technical education, Dr. Libertad Garcia of CHED’s office of institutional quality assurance and governance, reported updates on MPSPC’s compliance for university status.

Garcia said the college complied with some of six operational requirements like those on research, faculty and academic policies.

Garcia reported Kalinga Apayao State College, another institution in the Cordillera is about to achieve its university status by June, having complied with conditional requirements.

Dalog in his letter to Chakas dated May 13, aired concern some equally important requirements especially in outreach and linkages have not been done by the college.

“I respectfully request that you task your director for outreach and linkages to work vigorously as this is the only area that seems to have zero compliance until today,” the letter read.

In related developments, MPSPC officials led by Chakas travelled to Vietnam last week to forge international linkages with Thai Nguyen University.

Chakas and Dr. Dang Van Minh signed memorandum of understanding on educational cooperation between the two institutions.

Venus Grace Fagyan, vice president for resource generation and linkages said through the implementation of this linkage with TNU, the college will be engaging in a collaborative academic, research, cultural and extension endeavors on a global context.

Meanwhile, the congressman also requested the presence of Chakas at the next committee hearing to be scheduled by the House committee on higher and technical education.

“Notably, all of the nine state colleges with approved laws for conversion to universities are being represented by their respective college presidents in recent committee hearings. It is our humble conviction that your physical presence, especially at this critical stage of our journey is similarly significant because CHED and the committee will realize how committed we are in pushing for a state university for Mountain Province,” Dalog added.