by Marciano A. Paroy Jr.
The Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines, Inc. (AACCUP) re-visits the Kalinga-Apayao State College on January 14-19, 2008 for the third time as the school bares open the documents that AACCUP would pore over for scrutiny – the results of which would lead to the conferment of a corresponding level attained by the program subjected for evaluation.
So far, the programs that KASC has submitted for accreditation include Elementary Teacher Education, Secondary Teacher Education, Arts and Social Sciences (Histoy & Pol. Sci.), Commerce (Management), Agriculture (Ani. & Crop Sci.), Forestry, and Agricultural Engineering.
Having been the first programs to be submitted to AACCUP in 2006, the two Teacher Education programs have until Februray 15, 2008 to comply with the requirements needed to move up from their present status. All the other programs, subjected to scrutiny last December 16, 2006, have until December 15, 2008 to comply.
The Institute of Teacher Education (ITE), the Institute of Arts and Sciences (IAS) and the Institute of Graduate Studies (IGS) – under Dean Elsie Coyoy, Dean Joy Grace Doctor, and Dean Marymina Odiem, respectively – are the departments all set to face the team of accreditors.
“The actual accreditation survey visits are conducted by groups of accreditors usually composed of five (5) members per team for each program staying in the host institution for a number of days,” Dr. Carmelita Ayang-ang, Vice-President for Academic Affairs, explained.
At present AACCUP has already trained over 900 senior faculty members with different specializations from different state universities and colleges. More than 500 have qualified, and 323 are active members of the Pool of Accreditors. Dr. Ayang-ang and Dr. Hazel Buslig of KASC are both members.
“Schools with accredited curricular programs will have a rational basis for (a) budgetary requests from DBM and normative financing (b) SUC leveling (c) complying with requirements for the conversion of a college to a university and (d) matching-fund schemes with CHED funding scheme,” Dr. Raymond Balbin, Executive Dean further explained.
Out of the total number of 111 state universities and colleges in the Philippines, 98 (or 88%) are members of AACCUP; 81 (or 83%) of the members have already been reached by accreditation.
KASC has already undergone the Preliminary Survey Visit, which is the evaluation of the programs for the first time by external accreditors. Passing the assessment entitles the program to be awarded a Candidate status(Level I) valid for two (2) years.
The ITE and IAS are now ready for the Formal Survey Visit – the evaluation of the program which has attained Level I. If a higher level of quality is attained, the program is awarded an Accredited status (Level II), good for three (3) years.
Organized in 1987, though officially registered and recognized under the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on September 4, 1989, it is the youngest of the four (4) accrediting agencies in the country until late 2003.AACCUP is now closely allied with the Association of Local Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation, Inc. (ALCUCOA), organized only in the later part of year 2003.
The AACCUP is a member of the: National Network of Quality Assurance Agencies, Inc. (NNQAA), formed by AACCUP and ALCUCOA, the Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN) with AACCUP as member of the Steering Group based in Hong Kong, China, and the International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) based in Dublin, Ireland.
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