Building bridges for education
By ANGELO G. GARCIA
Inter-school tie-ups are not new to the education sector. There are so many schools that have partnership with other institutions and organizations, here and abroad. Basically, these institutional tie-ups aim to strengthen the programs and cement the ties among participating institutions.
Two institutions -- one in Manila and one in Cagayan up north of Luzon - are the latest to build a bridge between them and forge a partnership for the betterment of their education programs. The two schools agree that the long distance between them is not a barrier for an education alliance.
The Manila Business College (MBC) and Cagayan State University (CSU) firmed up their alliance in the graduate and undergraduate programs. The consortium arrangement between the two institutions will offer MBA, MM, Ph.D and undergraduate programs.
The program in the graduate level, which already started last March, offers Doctorate Degree in Development Administration and MA in Business Administration and Public Administration. The undergraduate courses include BS in Hospitality Industry Management (HIM), BS in Information Technology, BS in Accountancy, BS in English and BS in Entrepreneurship.
Under the agreement, 80 percent of the consortium will come from MBC while 20 percent will come from CSU. The combined faculty will handle the classes.
According to CSU vice president for Academic Affairs Joseph Acorda, senior university faculty of CSU in major disciplines will join the program.
"The classes will held every Saturday at MBC," Acorda said. The CSU professors will hold classes also at MBC and their accommodation and round-trip land transportation will be shouldered by MBC, he added.
When it comes to the teaching method of the program, they will adapt the modular system. "The teaching method that will be used in the program will be modular so that there will be less supervision for the students," he said.
PERFECT PARTNERS
A good partnership starts with the institutions involved. These schools should have good framework for education. For most schools, building a harmonious relationship is not a problem because they share almost the same mission and vision.
For MBC and CSU their common ground is their mission to provide quality education. Each institution’s philosophy provides ingredients that compliment each other for a great recipe that is perfectly cooked for a strong education partnership.
MBC was established with a vision of becoming one of the country’s premier business colleges. It provides an international-standard business education that combines Asian and Western concept of Business Management and Economics studies.
MBC’s mission is to uplift the social and economic status of the graduates through education and skills development training with emphasis on values formation, application of appropriate technologies and sustainable enterprise, and to be responsive to the needs of the times and attain international competitiveness.
The faculty members and support personnel are well screened. They are fully qualified and well oriented on the new approaches in teaching; they are all dedicated and well prepared to assist students on their needs and problems. Everybody at MBC is very much concerned on quality education in order to produce quality graduates.
MBC has also tied-up with various universities in the United States and Australia. Under these tie-ups, upon successful completion of the program in the Philippines, students are eligible to enter other local or overseas universities to continue their education.
On the other hand, CSU is mandated by its charter to provide better services in professional and technical training in the arts, sciences, humanities and technology. Its main mission revolves on academics, instruction, research, extension and production.
CSU aims to intensify the establishment of national and international linkages with knowledge generating and knowledge consuming entities to strengthen instruction, research, extension and production.
The university also provides advanced instruction in the arts, agriculture and natural sciences as well as technological and professional fields.
The Cagayan university also aims to provide advanced education in the arts and sciences, give professional and technical training; encourage and undertake research, conduct training and extension services; and encourage the application of knowledge.
With parallel missions, MBC and CSU hope that their partnership will last long, especially if their joint program will succeed. "It is continuous, that’s the spirit of the consortium and as long as there are students who are enrolling in the program, we will continue it," he added.
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