The local government unit (LGU) of Ubay has started efforts to establish a municipal college amid the growing number of students from the municipality, which is the most populated town in the province.
Ubay information officer John Larry Evangelista said that the LGU is starting to comply with the requirements set by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), while they are already eyeing a possible site for the campus.
According to Evangelista, they are planning to use its new multi-million peso evacuation center, which is set for turnover next week from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) to the LGU, as site for the municipal college.
Local officials have started to coordinate with the OCD in arranging the use of the facility in Barangay Camambugan as campus for the community college. The OCD, in turn, “positively” responded to the LGUs proposal, said Evangelista.
“Sa wa pa ang turnover, ni-communicate na ang LGU sa OCD sa atong plano for the municipal college kay lisod man pud og kung naa ray disaster magamit—mahimo siyang white elephant,” he added.
The compound has three buildings while the entire site is bigger than the other municipal colleges of the province in Trinidad and Buenavista.
“Dili pa ta project kung pila jud ang ma cater na students ani pero based sa akong assessment, mas daghan pa ni og mga ma cater sa neighboring colleges,” he said.
Evangelista said that the plan was first proposed by the town’s Sanggunianag Bayan through a municipal bill filed by Councilor Constantino Atuel two months ago.
The initiative is intended to provide convenience to residents of the town who are in need of free education.
Students of the municipality for now still have to travel to Buenavista or Trinidad to attend classes in the town’s colleges or to Tagbilaran City where the Bohol Island State University and Tagbilaran City College are located.
There is still no timeframe for the project’s implementation but Evangelista noted that the Technical Educational Skills Development Authority (TESDA) segment of the educational institution will likely be established first before the college.
“Siguro makasugod ang TESDA kay mura’g ready naman, then municipal college hopefully next year kung makalusot na tong application,” said Evangelista. (A. Doydora)