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MCL and MHSS: Continuing the tradition of academic excellence

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

For the past seven years, Malayan Colleges Laguna (MCL) and Malayan High School of Science (MHSS) have carried on Mapúa Institute of Technology’s tradition of excellence, achieving major milestones in their respective fields.

MCL and MHSS share the same vision, academic standards and strong educational system with their parent school. Both schools provide their students with world-class education and skills through state-of-the art facilities and topnotch faculty to better equip them for their future.

"What the three schools have in common is that they have openly embraced outcomes-based education (OBE) earlier on and more zealously as compared to other academic institutions. As a result, they are able to excel in their respective niches and propel themselves to national prominence," said Dr. Reynaldo B. Vea, president and chief executive officer of the three schools.

Emerging as a center of global education in Southern Luzon, MCL had a breakthrough year following the success of its alpha batch of licensure examinees as well as the high employability rate of its recent graduates.

Such accomplishments are attributed to the learner-centered OBE, the outcome-based approach to education.

"Outcomes-based approach is really an intentional desire of the institution to help its students. We really want them to be grounded, meaning these students should immediately know how to adapt to the pressure and workload of the real world because they've already experienced it. I think that's really the advantage of the system, it's about providing a seamless transition from college to actual industry practice," said Engr. Dennis Tablante, MCL’s vice president for Academic Affairs.

Intensifying its commitment to academic excellence, MCL will offer two new programs next school year, Bachelor of Science in Architecture and Bachelor of Arts in Broadcasting. Engr. Tablante further explained that this decision is in line with the continuous quality improvement program that is being implemented by the school.

Home of future industry leaders

Meanwhile, famed as the counterpart of the premier engineering school in the secondary level, MHSS has established itself as one of the top performing science high schools in Metro Manila.

After the school grabbed this year’s Tagisang Robotics Rookie of the Year, principal Dr. Efren B. Mateo explained that the school is now determined more than ever to strengthen its curriculum.

“Given the successful year that MHSS has had, we are now diverting our attention to another objective of ours, which is of course to gain accreditation. We are actually doing some research to determine the efficacy of our educational system. We also let them (students) evaluate the performance of their teachers using the MHSS core values as assessment indicators,” he said.

MHSS is one of the few secondary schools in Metro Manila that offer robotics as part of its curriculum.

As well-rounded individuals, MHSS students also excelled in other fields, particularly in athletics and humanities. Two members of the MHSS basketball team, the Red Robins, received major awards in the juniors division of the 88th National Collegiate Athletic Association. Members of its student council also won the Best Event Proposal award during the first High School Leadership Congress.

Celebrating seven years of excellence

For both institutions, this year’s Foundation Week is all about celebrating past achievements and looking forward to what lies ahead.

“Similar to other Malayan schools, our activities were geared toward the promotion of excellence in education within the community. I believe that’s what ties us all together. It’s sharing the same vision to become global centers of quality education in the country,” Dr. Mateo said.

MHSS’s Foundation Week took place a week earlier than Mapúa and MCL.

As for MCL, its Foundation Week would be packed with sporting events, musical festivals and student development seminars. The annual Mapúa Faculty Joint Congress would also happen in the same week with representatives from all Malayan schools attending the occasion.

Read the special supplement on Mapúa’s 88th Foundation Week released on The Philippine Star on January 23, 2013.