KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews / 29 July) — After four years of waiting, the first technology school in North Cotabato managed by a local government, finally got the nod of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
The CHED’s regional office in Soccsksargen (Central Mindanao) region, sitting en banc, passed Resolution Number 463-2017 on July 4, 2017, recognizing the Makilala Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) as a higher education institution (HEI).
The resolution states that the school has complied with the requirements set by the Commission, under its Memorandum Order Number 32, series of 2016 and Memorandum Order No. 42 series of 2016.
On July 28, the investiture of Dr. Pedro Rigonan as the first duly-recognized President of the MIST was held at the Pedro Martinez gymnasium in Makilala. CHED-12 regional director Dr. Maximo Aljibe led the ceremonies.
The MIST, the first LGU-led tertiary school in North Cotabato, was established after the Sangguniang Bayan passed Municipal Ordinance Number 275 on March 31, 2014.
The school offers free tuition and miscellaneous fees for bonafide residents of Makilala, according to Mayor Rudy Caoagdan.
The school opening was held on June 14, 2014, offering only two degree courses, Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship and Bachelor of Agricultural Technology.
In June 2015, it offered additional courses, including Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Associate in Computer Technology, Diploma in Midwifery, and Bachelor of Public Administration.
Last year, the MIST established a senior high school that offered all strands in the academic track.
Caoagdan said that every year since MIST was established in 2014, the LGU has allotted P10 million for its annual operations.
The school, data showed, has at least 25 teaching personnel with 500 as initial number of students, majority of them residents of Makilala town. (Malu Cadelina Manar / MindaNews)