Biliran Province State University made strides toward its goal of achieving 100% Certificate of Program Compliance (COPC) for all its academic offerings by submitting eight School of Graduate Studies (SGS) programs for on-site validation on October 23-24. After a thorough two-day evaluation, the validation team shared their findings and offered “doable” recommendations.

The programs under evaluation included the Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Management and Master of Arts in Education (MAEd) with specializations in Educational Management, Elementary Teaching, English, Filipino, Mathematics, Science, and Technology and Livelihood Education.

In his message, University President Dr. Victor C. Cañezo, Jr. emphasized the university's commitment to providing high-quality education that not only meets but strives to exceed Commission on Higher Education (CHED) standards. 

“Let's embrace today's validation process as a collaborative journey,” Dr. Cañezo encouraged. “Together, we can identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement, all with the goal of enriching our students' learning experiences.”

Despite the impending threat of Typhoon Kristine, the nine-member validation team, comprising representatives from CHED's Central and Regional Offices, traveled to Biliran as scheduled. The team included members of the Technical Panel for Teacher Education: Dr. Allen U. Bautista, Dr. Filomena T. Dayagbil, and Dr. Larry A. Gabao. Accompanying them were Dr. Norla Grace A. Betarmos, Dr. Jenifer A. Gorumba, and Ms. Maria Kripper Valmonte from CHED Regional Office VIII, along with Ms. Ana Cristina T. Biglete, Ms. Maria Katrina Cosico from CHED's Office of Programs and Standards Development, and Education Supervisor II, Jane Arguelles-Latorre.

During the validation process, the team assessed BiPSU’s compliance with CHED Memorandum Order No. 15 s. 2019, which outlines the standards and guidelines for graduate programs in Philippine higher education. The memorandum emphasizes program administration, learning center infrastructure, partnerships, and student advising, all aimed at ensuring quality assurance and institutional alignment. 

Dr. Dayagbil, the validation team leader, affirmed CHED’s role as a developmental partner, committed to supporting BiPSU’s quality education journey. “One of the very beautiful things about quality assurance mechanisms is the fact that we have the ability to journey together,” she remarked.

Throughout the process, each evaluator focused on specific program areas, interviewing program focal persons and reviewing documents. Dr. Gabao oversaw the MAEd-Math and MAEd-Science programs, Dr. Bautista evaluated the MAEd-Filipino, MAEd-Industrial Arts, and MAEd-Elementary Education, while Dr. Dayagbil examined EdD-Educational Management, MAEd-Educational Management, and MAEd-English.

In the exit conference held on October 24, Dr. Dayagbil shared that the recommendations provided by the validation team are "doable" and addressed minor improvements in library resources, research and creative outputs, policy documentation, curriculum structure, and faculty credentials. Education Supervisor Latorre further informed the university that it has one month to fulfill these recommendations, with an option to request an extension if needed.

Expressing optimism, Dr. Cañezo urged the SGS officials and faculty to work collaboratively to meet the compliance requirements by the deadline. “In the past COPC validations, we were victorious, and this is no different,” he said. “I believe we will secure the COPC for our eight graduate programs.”

With seven new COPCs recently awarded to BiPSU's industrial technology programs, the attainment of COPCs for the graduate studies programs will bring the university closer to its goal of near-total COPC compliance for all curricular offerings, officially certifying them as aligned with CHED’s academic standards.

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