LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN—The opening of the Pangasinan Polytechnic College (PPC) on February 14 is an opportune time to address the needs of low-income Pangasinenses to acquire free and quality education.
A long-term dream of Governor Ramon V. Guico III to harness the tremendous human resources potential of the province by producing world-class talents and leaders in various fields, the establishment of PPC is expected to improve the physical, intellectual, and material well-being of Pangasinenses by acquiring higher occupational, technical, and professional instruction and training in the applied arts and sciences and learnings related to the fields of commerce, business administration, and technology, among many others.
With PPC’s vision to provide quality, relevant, responsive, inclusive, and globally competitive education and learning opportunities for deprived and disadvantaged learners, the growth and development of the Province of Pangasinan will be heightened.
PPC was institutionalized on June 26, 2023, through the crafting and passage of Provincial Ordinance No. 300-2023, and amended by Provincial Ordinance No. 314-2024.
As earlier stated by Gov. Guico, the “PPC is not a business-as-usual transition. It is a mind-altering aspiration that will soon be translated into reality.”
The four schools of PPC and their proposed baccalaureate programs are as follows:
School of Human Development
Bachelor of Special Needs Education (BSNED) program equips future teachers who will instruct, handle, and manage learners with additional special and diverse education needs that can be catered to in inclusive education and regular classrooms.
School of Creativity and Design
Bachelor of Multimedia Arts (BMMA) aligns itself with the rapid convergence of media technologies and practices by developing conceptual, technical, aesthetic, and professional competencies for effective, critical, and innovative storytelling across a range or combination of media forms for various purposes.
School of Agribusiness
Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness Program is to be created out of the need to strengthen the business side of agriculture with the basic idea of incorporating knowledge in scientific agriculture with business management or entrepreneurial skills.
School of Local Governance
Bachelor of Public Administration major in Local Governance aims to develop public servants, leaders, and agents of change with the required competencies and values to serve as professionals in government, civil society, and international development organizations. BPA prepares graduates for technical and administrative positions in governments, civil society, and development organizations.
For its initial operations, PPC, through the Center for Lifelong Learning (CeLL), will offer micro-credentials and other short courses such as the following: Pangasinan studies; clerical skills for community health workers; organic production of vegetable crops; dairy production principles; design thinking; videography; barangay governance; local tourism development planning; tourism product development; and indigenous education.
As a government-funded community college, the PPC will give priority to students, learners, and trainees from “low-income households and less privileged members of the different communities in Pangasinan.”
For School Year 2024-2025, the first-ever provincial government-run college in the entire Region 1, will accommodate 400 students for the baccalaureate programs (100 per degree program) and 100 students from TESDA courses (25 per training course).
PPC will have its initial campus located at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Complex (NRSCC) in Lingayen and is expected to expand and open campuses in San Carlos City and the eastern part of Pangasinan. (Ruby R. Bernardino/PIMRO)
