Four senior accreditors, namely Dr. Elsie M. Pacho, Dr. Joan V. Rivera, Dr. Arrianne Michelle F. Fabro, and Dr. Maricon C. Viduya were among those named by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP), Inc. to participate in the Special Training on Institutional Accreditation held at Cebu Technological University (CTU) on May 28-30, 2024.

The training commenced with a warm welcome from Dr. Joseph C. Pepito, CTU President. Also, Dr. Gregorio Z. Gamboa, Jr., Surigao del Norte State University President/ AACCUP President, in his recorded messaged emphasized the vital roles as accreditors in pursuit of quality education.

On the first day, Dr. Suzette B. Lina, Professor at Visayas State University, shared their experience undergoing Institutional Accreditation. Dr. Lina also underscored the challenges they encountered. Meanwhile, Dr. Milabel E. Ho, AACCUP Executive Director, presented the overview of Institutional Accreditation, and Dr. Myrna Mallari walked the participants through the review of documents.

The participants were assigned groups to carry out a workshop on mandatory requirements, documents, and best practices that can be identified in the areas of accreditation. Each group presented their outputs, which were processed by Dr. Ho, Dr. Mallari in the afternoon and which was continued in the morning of Day 2.

On the afternoon of Day 2, Dr. Anthony M. Penaso led the session on the Rating System used in Institutional Accreditation. He highlighted and covered crucial aspects of Team Decision-making and Report Writing. The participants rated various areas in Institutional Accreditation, made team decisions, and crafted summaries of findings and recommendations as part of their workshop session for Day 2. Moreover, Dr. Ho and Dr. Dominic T. Martinez discussed “Professional and Ethical Responsibilities of Accreditors” and Uploading the Documents in Digital Form for Institutional Accreditation,” respectively.

To end the 3-day training, selected participants shared their impressions about the sessions and the group presentations, followed by the concluding statements by D. Charisma S. Ututalum, President of Sulu State College, and Words of Gratitude and Closing Statement by Dr. Ho.

After the three-day special training, the four AACCUP accreditors are now ready to receive assignments to evaluate State Colleges and Universities that will subject their institution to accreditation. These four institutional accreditors have served as program accreditors for years before their invitation to the special training.   (By Gloeduard G. Milanes)