Quality maritime education now in Davao

THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) southern Mindanao has urged all present and incoming students aspiring for a promising career in the maritime industry not to go out of Davao City just to study maritime courses.

Captain George Ursabia, commander of the Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao, in Friday's Kapihan sa PIA at the VIP Lounge of Abreeza Mall Friday said almost all maritime courses being offered in Metro Manila are also being offered in Davao City.

Ursabia said they were doing constant monitoring along with other concerned agencies of the government to all the maritime schools within their jurisdiction to keep their teaching world-class and produce world-class students.

"We have to make sure that these maritime training institutions are world-class in terms of their equipment and facilities," Ursabia said.

Ursabia, however, said it is not their role to police these maritime schools in terms of how they manage their schools and its overall operation.

He said the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) has more power to control and regulate these schools when it comes to their operation as a school.

What the PCG can do is conduct trainings, seminars, and time to time visitations to these schools to ensure compliance with the maritime teaching standards.

"Tumataas naman din ang quality ng mga maritime schools sa Davao City (the quality of maritime schools in Davao City is improving)," Ursabia said.

He added that with the establishment of schools in Davao City that offer various courses, students in Davao City need not to go out of the city just to get the best quality of education.

Based on the official list of accredited Maritime Higher Education Institutions for 2010, it showed that there are only four accredited higher education institutions in Davao Region, which all of them are in Davao City that offer maritime courses.