THE Mandaue City Government is intensifying efforts to meet the requirements for its City College’s Certification of Program Compliance (COPC) application.
The City Government aims to resubmit the application by March 31, 2024, in preparation for the first semester of the 2024-2025 school year.
As of February, the City Government has hired five more personnel to comply with the Commission on Higher Education’s (Ched) recommendation.
To recall, the school announced in September 2023 that it may not accept freshmen students for the first semester of the 2024-2025 school year if it is not granted a COPC.
The COPC is a recognition that certifies that specific degree programs offered by local universities and colleges comply fully with the standards and guidelines set by Ched. MCC needs this recognition to continue offering free tuition through Ched’s Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFast).
In an interview on Feb. 19, City Councilor Malcolm Sanchez, education committee chairman, said that aside from improving the school’s facility, they have prioritized hiring personnel for plantilla or permanent positions.
The Mandaue City College was granted the scholarship program in 2019, benefiting students during the 2019-2020 school year. However, its COPC re-application was turned down by Ched in 2022 due to the lack of facilities and personnel.
In December 2023, Ched gave the school a new deadline of June 2024 to resubmit its COPC application.
Sanchez said Ched recommended obtaining 30 plantilla positions for MCC personnel, five of which have already been filled, including roles such as school nurse, instructors, and guidance counselor.
He added that they already endorsed the amendment of the plantilla ordinance to fill the remaining 25 positions.
Sanchez also noted that Ched suggested hiring a librarian with a master’s degree. The City Budget Office has already approved the amendment to expedite its second and final reading to hire another librarian soon.
Sanchez said they aim to ensure that Ched officials see improvements in the school and provide positive feedback. This, hopefully, will lead to the approval of MCC’s COPC application during their upcoming visit.
“This is our final opportunity to obtain the COPC. So, we are working diligently with the support of our esteemed City Mayor Jonas Cortes to complete all necessary tasks at MCC to obtain the certification,” said Sanchez.
The MCC, located at the Mandaue City Sports and Cultural Complex in Barangay Centro, is a public higher institution supervised by the Mandaue City Government. It receives an annual subsidy of P10 million from the City’s Special Education Fund, which was later increased to P40 million.
In August 2023, Sanchez proposed an ordinance to make the MCC a department under the City Government.
This proposal aims to streamline all of the school’s activities and create opportunities for the enhancement of the school’s facilities. This would also allow the school to receive funds directly from the mayor’s office.
The City Government plans to relocate the MCC to the old Mandaue City Jail in Barangay Looc, aiming to construct a five-story building with 77 rooms for the new MCC.
The Mandaue City Jail was officially relocated to Dungguan in Barangay Basak last September.
For the school year 2023-2024, MCC has around 2,000 enrolled students.
The Mandaue City Government covers their tuition, about P5,000 per student, pending COPC application approval.