The recent filing and referral to the Senate of several bills authored by Senator Bam Aquino to convert some extension campuses of Cebu Technological University (CTU) into regular campuses is good news for higher education in Cebu.
Among those proposed to become regular campuses are CTU Cordova, Dumanjug, Ginatilan, Malabuyoc, and Naga. If these laws are passed, the administrative autonomy of these campuses will be strengthened, their funding will increase, and their programs and services for students will be further improved.
Amid this positive development, why was CTU San Fernando not included?
CTU San Fernando is not a new extension campus. It was established on May 28, 2010, through Board of Regents Resolution No. 16, Series of 2010. For sixteen years, this campus has continued to serve students in the southern part of Cebu and has become one of the important educational centers in the Municipality of San Fernando and neighboring towns.
The campus offers Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEED), Bachelor of Technology and Livelihood Education major in Home Economics (BTLEd-HE), Bachelor in Industrial Technology major in Computer Technology, and Bachelor in Industrial Technology major in Electrical Technology. It also offers day and evening classes to allow more students to continue their education.
Currently, CTU San Fernando is located on a permanent two-hectare lot in Hill of Purok Punay, Sitio Anas, Barangay South Poblacion, San Fernando, Cebu. It has over a thousand officially enrolled students and is supported by eleven regular and permanent faculty members with master's and doctoral degrees. It also has one regular and permanent non-teaching personnel who assists in the daily operations of the campus. Others are under Contract of Service (COS) and Job Order (JO) personnel.
The campus has sixteen university-standard classrooms, Electrical and Computer Technology laboratories, a library, and other laboratory facilities that are continuously being developed. These infrastructures show that CTU San Fernando is no longer an ordinary extension campus but an institution with a strong foundation and capacity for greater responsibility as a regular campus.
Above all, the quality of its education is evident in the achievements of its graduates. Courses with board examinations consistently show results higher than the national passing percentage in the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET). For non-board courses, the campus ensures that graduates obtain National Certificate Level II (NC-II) in skills from TESDA. Many of its graduates now serve in the Department of Education, private schools, local and international companies, and industries.
Because of this, it is only reasonable for students, parents, teachers, and residents of San Fernando to ask: Why was CTU San Fernando not included among the campuses prioritized for conversion into a regular campus?
As the government and the Senate continue their efforts to expand educational opportunities in Cebu, perhaps it is time to give proper attention to CTU San Fernando. If CTU San Fernando has already proven its status, quality, and capability for 16 years, what else is lacking for it to be recognized and become a regular campus?
Wilfredo G. Anoos
