Tiñga to give up university post to GK's Meloto

MANILA, Philippines - Taguig City Mayor Sigfrido Tiñga announced yesterday that he will relinquish the chairmanship of the Taguig City University (TCU) to Gawad Kalinga (GK) founder Antonio Meloto.

Tiñga believes that bringing in GK in the TCU’s board will help mold a new and better breed of graduates through a holistic education program.

“We believe that this partnership with Gawad Kalinga will ensure that our graduates are not just globally competitive and competent. But more so, they are socially and environmentally aware and equipped to serve the community and contribute to a progressive society,” Tiñga said.

This developed after a memorandum of agreement was signed between the city government and GK. The MOA provides that GK shall appoint one representative to the TCU board and introduce and implement values formation programs to the university’s current curriculum.

The agreement stipulates that GK shall be responsible in forging partnerships with prominent universities and in bringing into the board representatives from the National University of Singapore and the country’s top-notch schools such as the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, and De La Salle University.

Having representatives from the country’s top three universities and one from an international educational institution is completely unprecedented once realized, the mayor said.

“These strategic partnerships are crucial and are expected to uplift TCU’s academic standards, improve its curriculum and add credence to TCU as it gears toward its goal of becoming the best city-run university in the country,” Tinga said.

TCU, which started operations in 2006, has more than 8,000 students, 95 percent of whom are scholars.

Thus, Gawad Kalinga will now play a major role in the management and operation of the city-run TCU.

“With the partnership, the city’s objectives of providing free high quality college education to Taguig’s underprivileged but equally deserving students will be upheld,” Tiñga said.

To date, TCU has its own campus at the Taguig Justice Hall Compound in Barangay Upper Bicutan.   – Rhodina Villanueva