AU commitment to high educational standards

MANILA, Philippines - This has reference to the Nov. 25, 2009 issue of The Philippine STAR entitled “152 nursing schools face closure for poor board performance” and the subsequent article of Nov. 28, 2009 bannered “CHED list of poorly performing nursing school questioned”, both written by Rainier Allan Ronda, which included Arellano University Manila and Pasay in the list.

We take strong exceptions to both printed articles for being factually misplaced and inaccurate!

Foremost, Arellano University has a long standing legacy of nursing education in the Philippines having an established and recognized nursing program since 1954. Our College of Nursing in Manila is Level 1 Formal accredited where it enjoys a deregulated status conferred jointly by CHED and PACUCOA, for having passed the stringent criteria over and above the minimum educational standards required by the government in areas of faculty, instruction, library, physical facilities, laboratories, student personnel services and student assistance program.

In spite of the plea of CHED and no less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the University froze its tuition fees in the last three years to enable students to gain access to affordable quality education. With the conviction that quality education should be accorded to all who seek the same, the University has an open admission policy but maintains its academic standards through selective retention. Our tuition fees are currently less than P700 per unit, one of the lowest for private college education in the industry which through efficient and cost effective management still allows us to produce world class nurses. Since 2008, we produced several nursing graduates who placed in the top 10 in the Nursing Licensure Exams in the persons of Roberto Asuncion (5th place), Paul Fabian Gumabao (9th place), and Michelle Alejandro Barberan (3rd place), plus many more who landed in the top 25 placers. We have as of last known count 11 of our nursing graduates who recently were appointed as deans of various nursing schools in Metro Manila as well as substantial numbers of chief nurses in private and government hospitals both here and abroad.

Our record and history speak for itself because we have earned success and respect in the nursing profession. Our worldwide alumni and the accomplishments they have achieved is a testimony to the quality of education we have given them. Our College of Nursing is an institution in the health care industry both here and abroad. We have established a name and reputation which we are proud of and which we will die for because we have earned it through hard work, honesty and integrity.

This is precisely what we are fighting for when you published your Nov. 25, 2009 article which we strongly claim has no factual and legal basis considering the series of CHED pronouncements contained in a number of issuances including CHED Memo No. 14 dated April 28, 2009 and Resolution No. 378-2009 dated Oct. 2, 2009, where the standards for poor performance are clearly outlined and the parameters defined. Clearly, this does not include Arellano University. It is regrettable that the rejoinder in your article of Nov. 29, 2009 did not carry the essence and most salient points of the discussions we had with your reporter, Rainier Allan Ronda who presented it out of context.

The distorted and irresponsible report has caused tremendous anxiety among our stakeholders, administrators, faculty members, alumni, students, parents and our entire University community. The implication it created in the minds of the public has caused enormous damage to University’s reputation and goodwill which could have been averted by the simple act of understanding, verifying and ascertaining the facts prior to printing.

Arellano University remains committed to provide equitable access to quality education as we have always done so in the past and stand firm on the fundamental principles of excellence and high educational standards that the founder of this University has ingrained in all of us as a tradition. — FRANCISCO P.V. CAYCO, Chairman and CEO, Arellano University