CPU among QS Ranking for a 3rd Time

BY KALANIE SALDAJENO

entral Philippine University (CPU), for the third consecutive year, is among the best universities in Asia according to the Quacquarelli Symonds’ (QS) Asia University Rankings for 2023, released on November 8.

CPU ranked #701-750 out of 760 universities in Asia. Out of 16 universities in the Philippines, CPU is the only university from Western Visayas.

“I feel extremely proud to be a student at this university. As a college sophomore it is quite fulfilling to know that I have made the right decision in enrolling in this university as my school continuous to be recognized globally while upholding excellence,” says Jirah Songcog, a secomd year Digital Media and Interactive Arts student.

CPU was founded in 1905 as the Jaro Industrial School by missionaries of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society. The Commision of Higher Education (CHED) has granted autonomous status to the university since 2001. It is the only university in Iloilo City that has been granted autonomous status as of 2018.

CHED commends the performances of the universities who made it into the ranking.

“As HEIs continue to rise in global university rankings, CHED commits to prioritizing internationalization and setting milestones in nation-building,” the agency stated.

QS is one of the three prestigious world university ranking agencies alongside Times Higher Education (THE) and Academic Ranking

CPU grads nab LET 6th, 10th places

BY KALANIE SALDAJENO

ryan Paul L. Espinosa and Shenry June A. Esparagoza, graduates of Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education in Central Philippine University (CPU) ranked sixth and 10th in the 2021 Licensure Examination for Teachers (Secondary Level), respectively.

Espinosa ranked No. 6 with 92.00% rating, while Esparagosa ranked No. 10 with 91.20% rating. CPU got a passing rate of 84.44% (38 passers out of 45 takers) in the BSED category versus the national passing rate of 57.76%. In the BEED category, CPU got 86.67% (13 passers out of 15 takers) with a national passing rate of 55.96%.

When preparing for the board exams, Espinosa stated that it was a journey enriched with love, hope, and gratitude. “I trusted everything in God’s hands and trusting Him led to this wonderful moment,” he added.

On the other hand, Esparagoza stated that he was dedicated and he made sure that he “does good” in the LET exam.

Espinosa graduated Magna Cum Laude during the first semester of School Year 2018-2019, while Esparagoza graduated during the first semester of School Year 2019-2020.

In addition, Dean of the College of Education, Dr. Merle L. Junsay shared, “My heart leaps with joy and thanksgiving for the wonderful blessing we received from God in the College of Education: having two topnotchers and having achieved a very high rating in the September 2021 Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET). God indeed has a perfect plan. The result is a testimony that excellence is never an accident. Now, we do not wonder why the LET was cancelled three times. All praise and glory be to our God!”

The LET that was administered last September had 17,863 examinees for the secondary level licensure. There was 57.76-percent passing rate or 10,318 successful takers. A total of 9,286 teachers were first-time takers of the LET while 1,032 were repeat takers. C

4 Centralians excel in TOSIA 2022

BY ZHARINA MARIE STEPHANIE LUGO

abriel Mico Bondoc and Ro-Anne Lozada from the College of Business and Accountancy; and Zharina Marie Stephanie Lugo and Daryl Lutero from the College of Arts and Sciences, received major and special awards during the search for The Outstanding Students of Iloilo Awards (TOSIA): Salute to Excellence award ceremony held on July 10 at Robinsons Place Iloilo.

Out of the 10 TOSIA finalists from different universities in Iloilo City and Iloilo Province, the 4 Centralians were able to bring home 14 awards.

Lozada garnered 5 awards namely: TOSIA Top Circle, TOSIA Hall of Fame, TOSIA Scholar, TOSIA Speaker, TOSIA Leader, and The Outstanding Students of Iloilo Award.

Lozada shared that she was awarded for a second time and believed that her greatest challenge was to overcome her “greatest expectations” of herself. “I was never complacent with what I can achieve but rather afraid of failing whenever the luck and odds wouldn’t be at my side,” she said.

Bondoc on the other hand, was awarded as one of the TOSIA Top Circle and The Outstanding Students of Iloilo.

Bondoc said that he always wanted to share his story to his fellow youth, and allowing them to learn from his mistakes and live his successes in the hopes of inspiring them to be their own catalyst of positive change. “Knowing that TOSIA can provide a bigger platform for my mission to make a difference and make my part of the world a better place is definitely more than enough of a reason to inspire me,” he added.

At the same time, Lugo and Lutero was both awarded with Special awards: TOSIA Artisans, TOSIA Best Advocacy Video and The Outstanding Students of Iloilo.

Lutero shared that the awards he received was an “affirmation” of every pattern, scene, words and episodes of his life works and it “motivated” him to be consistently creative on his own form of craftsmanship.

“To all dreamers, we have our own art of expression and we must remember that we are the scriptwriter of our own storyline; and everyone can be an Artisan, only if we share the spotlight of innovations because Artisans were made to tell stories that inspires and make dreams that transpires,” Lutero emphasized.

Conferred by Junior Chamber International: Regatta, TOSIA is a yearly award recognizing student leaders who exemplify Academic Excellence, Leadership, Faith, and Community Involvement. The annual search for outstanding is held in partnership with Department of Education Iloilo and Iloilo City Divisions and the Commission on Higher Education Region 6. C of World Universities (ARWU). It is considered the world’s largest international higher education network.

The QS Asia University Rankings, which is published annually since 2009, highlights the top universities in Asia based on its 11 indicators listed in its website namely academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty/student ratio, international research network, citations per paper, and papers per faculty.

According to the list, University of the Philippines (UP) remained the country’s best institution of higher learning after being ranked 87th.It was followed by Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) at 134th place; De La Salle University (DLSU) at 171st place; and University of Santo Tomas (UST) at 175th place. C