The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Thursday, June 17, awarded institutional recognition to the Quezon City University (QCU) - making it a full-fledged, CHED - recognized university.
The formal awarding ceremony, held at the Executive Lounge of the Quezon City Hall, was attended by CHED Chairman Popoy De Vera, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, Quezon City Sangguniang Panglungsod Committee on Education Chairperson Irene Belmonte, UniFAST OIC-Executive Director Ryan Estevez, and Quezon City University President Theresita Atienza.
Formerly known as Quezon City Polytechnic University, De Vera said that the awarding of institutional recognition to QCU will open a lot of opportunities for the university as well as to its faculty members and students.
For instance, De Vera noted that since QCU has been recognized by CHED, “its students are now eligible for free tuition and miscellaneous fee” through the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
The students, he added, will also be eligible for other scholarships and financial assistance from CHED such as the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES), Student Loan Program and the “Tulong Dunong” Program.
In a press conference after the awarding, De Vera commended the local executives - particularly Belmonte - for their efforts to uplift the quality of education in the city.
NOW: @PhCHED holds press conference on the awarding of Institutional Recognition to Quezon City University and other related issues on higher education @manilabulletin pic.twitter.com/6qokZLajD8
— Merlina Hernando-Malipot (@MB_InaHernando) June 17, 2021
De Vera, likewise, reminded Quezon City and other cities that are seeking recognition from CHED to sustain what they have started. “If you start on something, you have to finish it because the more premiere the city, the higher the expectation,” he said.
“If you’re a premiere city and you have a university that is not even recognized or have substandard facilities, you better just provide scholarships,” he added.
De Vera said that while getting recognition from CHED entails a lot of benefits, there are also standards and challenges that have to be met.
“If you take the step of establishing your own, you must establish a premiere local university,” he said. “Hindi pwedeng ‘pwede’ - it has to be high quality otherwise, you’re a premiere city, how can a premiere city have a substandard university? It doesn’t make sense - that is the challenge,” he added.
What’s in-store after getting CHED recognition?
De Vera also underscored the importance of getting CHED recognition. “It sends a signal to all the other universities that Quezon City University has met the standards and therefore, can be open to linkages already,” he said.
He explained that the universities - when they develop linkages with each other - would like to link with other good universities because “a good university would not want to link with a lower university.”
Getting a CHED recognition, De Vera added, will also enable the universities to “harness the potential and excellence” of the other universities through linkages and partnerships.
When universities develop joint programs, De Vera assured that funding will be provided by CHED.
“So, you send a signal that we are now part of the quality-assured universities and we can now start working together and that cannot happen if you are not recognized,” he added.
Dream come true
Meanwhile, Belmonte said receiving institutional recognition for QCU is a “dream come true.”
“Words cannot describe what I feel right now - this has always been our dream, for our university to be recognized,” an ecstatic Belmonte added. “Now, we have to prove to CHED and to all stakeholders that we are truly deserving of this recognition that has been bestowed upon us today,” she added.
Atienza, on the other hand, also expressed her gratitude to CHED and the local government for supporting the university which was instrumental for such a momentous feat.
“We will continue to expand our program offerings and ensure that our graduates will be knowledgeable and equipped as they graduate from the university,” Atienza said. “We are inspired even more to strive to be the number one local university of employable graduates,” she added.