THE Mandaue City Government has made significant efforts to comply with all the requirements necessary for the Mandaue City College's (MCC) Certificate of Program Compliance (COPC) application.
Efforts have been made as the City is preparing to resubmit its application by March 31 in preparation for the first semester of the school year 2024-2025.
The school announced in September 2023 that it may not enroll freshmen students for the first semester of the 2024-2025 school year if it does not receive 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 the Commission on Higher Education (Ched).
The MCC needs this recognition to continue offering free tuition through Ched's Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFast).
Councilor Malcolm Sanchez, who chairs the Committee on Education, said on February 19, 2024 that aside from improving the school's facility, they have prioritized hiring for plantilla (permanent) positions.
The school was granted the scholarship program in 2019, and students during the 2019-2020 school year benefited from it. However, its COPC re-application was turned down by Ched in 2022.
MCC's application was denied due to lack of facilities and personnel.
In December 2023, Ched had given the school another deadline in June 2024 to resubmit its COPC application.
Sanchez said Ched suggested getting 30 plantilla positions, of which five have already been filled, including a school nurse, instructors, and a guidance counselor.
He added that they had also endorsed the amendment of the plantilla ordinance on Monday, February 19, to hire the remaining 25 to 26 positions.
Sanchez said Ched recommended hiring a librarian with a master's degree, and the City Budget Office has already approved the amendment to expedite its second and final reading to hire another librarian soon.
“Our librarian is currently pursuing a master's degree. Therefore, we need to hire another librarian who has already completed their master's degree to comply with Ched's requirements. We have already shortlisted a candidate for the position,” said Sanchez.
Sanchez said they are aiming to ensure that officials from Ched see improvements in the school and provide positive feedback and recommendations.
This will hopefully lead to the grant 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. (HIC)