‘Board course’ students anxious about future
A junior student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in elementary education at Mandaue City College under Dr. Paulus Cañete fears she won’t be able to take the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET).
Glenda Ballera, 24, of barangay Jagobiao told Cebu Daily News she will leave everything to God after Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) chairperson Teresita Manzala, in a memorandum, said, “Graduates from illegally operated board courses/programs by Mandaue City College shall not be allowed to take any licensure examination.”
The aspiring teacher said she will not transfer to another school since MCC teachers have high educational standards for students who pay only P5,000 per semester.
That’s all her family, who depends on their retiree father’s monthly pension, can afford, Ballera said.
She said she still hopes they will be allowed to take the LET.
But Mildred Antepuesto, PRC legal officer, said the commission will not only deny MCC’s LET applicants but also withhold the licenses of five education graduates who passed the teacher’s board last April.
The licenses of those who passed the examinations before 2011 will not be renewed pending clarifications with the PRC office in Manila, Antepuesto said.
“We are not questioning the legitimacy of Cañete’s presidency,” Antepuesto said.
“Our concern is that they comply with Ched requirements.”
Cañete, in an interview, said the school passed 90 percent of the requirements for Ched accreditation in 2008.
However, he said the commission did not reply to his three written requests for an inspection of the remaining requirements.
He said he plans to file a disbarment case against Antepuesto and Ched lawyer Dan Malayang for going against the city ordinance creating the MCC and the Education Act of 1982.
Meanwhile, a closure order will be issued to MCC under Cañete for failure to secure business permits and pay regulatory fees since 2008, said Regal Oliva, head of the Mandaue City Treasurer’s Office.
Oliva said the school’s outstanding tax dues was worth P223,000, including penalties.
“It’s already grounds for issuing a closure order since they are operating as a private entity because they didn’t have any accreditation from Ched,” Oliva said.
“They cannot hide from the government. If they can justify that the school is non-stock non-profit, then we cannot tax them but in the absence of that then we will be assessing the school.”
In a letter sent yesterday, Oliva gave Cañete five days to pay before sending Mayor Jonas Cortes a recommendation to shut down the school.
