Mandaue City College gets new COPC from CHED-7

Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes (middle), City Councilor Malcolm Sanchez (second from the left), MCC Administrator Dr. Lilybeth Mayor (third from the right), and faculty members hold the Certificates of Program Compliance (COPC) issued by the Commission on Higher Education.| CDN Digital photo / Mary Rose Sagarino

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – The Mandaue City College (MCC) was granted a Certificate of Program Compliance (COPC) by the Commission on Higher Education in Central Visayas (CHED-7).

However, its COPC will only cover five degree program like Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in Math, English, and Filipino; Bachelor of Elementary Education; and Information Technology.

COPC is a recognition that is given to specific degree programs offered by local universities and colleges that are fully compliant with the standard and guidelines set by CHED.

READ: Mandaue City College given until June 30 to reapply for COPC

This will ensure that the programs that are being offered are quality assured.

COPC is also a requirement for CHED’s Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) that will grant free tuition to beneficiaries.

Mandaue City College

In 2022, CHED-7 delisted MCC and some other local universities and colleges for their failure to comply with the requirements provided under Republic Act 10931 or the “Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.”

READ: Mandaue City College gets new facilities from city gov’t

Since then, MCC has been working to comply with CHED’s requirements.

As part of the verification process, CHED-7 personnel visited MCC to look at improvements made on its facilities and the college’s plantilla positions.

Dr. Lilybeth Mayol, MCC’s administrator, said these were the major requirements set by CHED in the application for a COPC.

READ: Mandaue City College to re-submit application for free tuition

“As you can see pag-adto ninyo, we had our own campus. So, we really moved people, moved offices to other places just so we can have that campus all to ourselves, all those laboratories, library, and hiring of people,” said Mayol.

MCC availed of the national government’s free tuition program in 2019.

But after it lost its COPC, the Mandaue City government had to shoulder the tuition of its over 2, 000 students.

Free tuition

With the grant of a new COCP, the city government will now be able to process its application for UNIFAST to avail of free tuition again.

“We still have to get our IRR, institutionalize recognition nga kinahanglan sad sa UNIFAST. So, if will have the IRR certificate, pwede na ta mo-apply sa UNIFAST,” said Councilor Malcolm Sanchez, the chairman of the education committee of the Mandaue City Council.

MCC offers nine degree programs.

At present, MCC is in the process of complying  with requirements for the issuance of COPC for its other degree programs such as the Industrial Technology.

“Mao na ang gikabusyhan ron, pagprepare ang need. Medyo mahal siya compared to other programs but sa city of Mandaue we are not up to closing programs kay uban colleges they want to open programs. Likewise, Mandaue City College wanted to continue with its [degree] programs,” Sanchez said.

New campus

Mayor Jonas Cortes, for his part, thanked all those who worked for MCC’s accreditation.

Cortes said that they are now planning to transfer some offices that are currently situated at the City’s Sports Complex to provide additional space for MCC.

MCC is currently located inside the compound of the sports complex.

Cortes said they will be doing this while the city government works on the construction of a new campus in Brgy. Looc, at the area that used to be occupied by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

Moving MCC there will bring it closer to the Mandaue City College Technological and Entrepreneurial Skills Training Center (MCCTEST).

“In the future, matagaan nato og permanent site ang Mandaue City College nga naa gyuy building, taas nga building, facilities,” Cortes added.