Of Books and Schools in Bukidnon
While the province of Bukidnon has 48 public high schools and 15 colleges and universities, education remains a concern especially with the lack of relevant infrastructure particularly computers.
In fact, as of November this year, only five of the province’s high schools have access to the internet.
Among the more prominent educational institutions in the province is the Central Mindanao University (CMU) which is located in the university town of Musuan. The university specializes in the fields of Veterinary Medicine, Engineering, Forestry Education, Agriculture Education, Nutrition and Dietetics and Teacher Education.
CMU started out as a small, farm settlement school established by the Americans in the early 1900s. It initially offered elementary agriculture courses before initiating a secondary homemaking curriculum for female students in the mid-1930s.
These days, CMU stands out as for having one of the most advanced programs in the province. In fact, the Commission on Higher Education recognizes it as center of excellence for Agriculture and Forestry Education. It has 10 colleges, including a graduate school that offers doctoral programs in Education, Agriculture, and Biology. The university has also started offering online programs to its students.
CMU also has an extension program which aims to teach Bukidnon residents with appropriate technology for the improvement of the socio-economic status in the countryside. It particularly aims to teach functional literacy, economic sufficiency, and social responsibility as embodied in its RELEASE program- or Resource Management, Education, Leadership, Environmental Concerns and Sustainability, Appropriate Technologies, Savings, and Entrepreneurship.
The newest university in the province, Bukidnon State University, began as a high school in the early 1900s. Following the end of the war, it opened as an institution that offers two-year special collegiate teacher education course. In 1956, it started offering Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. By the 1960s, BSU was offering master’s degree in education. In 1976, the institution was renamed as the Bukidnon State College, until its elevation as a state university in May 2007.
Today, Bukidnon State University offers undergraduate courses in Nursing, Economics, English, Sociology, Social Sciences, Mathematics, Information Technology, Banking and Finance, among others. It also offers graduate studies in Public Administration, Educational Administration, Guidance and Counseling, and Law. BSU likewise has short courses in local governance and public administration.
Meanwhile, San Isidro College is the only Catholic institution that offers tertiary education in the province. It is accredited by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities or PAASCU, and is equipped with adequate facilities and well-trained teaching personnel.
Established in 1949 by Fr. Joseph Reith, S.J., San Isidro College was named after the patron saint of farmers, San Isidro Labrador. It started out with 90 first-year students and 30 second-year with five teaching personnel, with a two-storey residential house as a makeshift school building.
San Isidro College has five colleges: the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, School of Business Administration, School of Information Technology, and School of Health Sciences, which was opened just a year ago. It also offers elementary and high school education.
Bukidnon National High School is among the five high schools that has internet connection in the province. It is located in the capital city of Malaybalay, and is considered one of the more competent secondary schools in Bukidnon.
For more information about the beautiful Province of Bukidnon, Philippines and of the numerous available business opportunities, fascinating culture and to be able to interact with locals, log on to Bukidnon Online (http://bukidnononline.com) The site is hosted and maintained by Asterisk Events and Communications (http://www.asteriskeventsandcommunications.com)
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