The Asia Pacific Accreditation and Certification Commission (APACC) conducted its third cycle of accreditation to Quezon National Agricultural School (QNAS) in Pagbilao, Quezon Province from December 9 to 11, 2024. QNAS was granted silver-level accreditation in 2009 and advanced to gold-level status in 2017.
The APACC Accreditation Team for this cycle was led by Ms. Therese Tan-Lee as Lead Accreditor, with Dr. Kesavan Ulaganathen serving as Member Accreditor, and Mr. Lawrence Gonzales as Documentation Officer. Ms. Stephanie Rimas and Mr. Azam Khalid also participated as Observers in the evaluation activity.
The three-day accreditation commenced with a warm welcome speech from Ms. Yolanda T. Manlapas, Acting Vocational School Superintendent of QNAS. The Provincial Director of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)-Quezon, Dir. Gerardo R. Marasigan also joined the event to support QNAS in the accreditation process. Furthermore, Mr. Gonzales introduced the APACC Accreditation Team, followed by Dr. Kesavan who delivered his special remarks on behalf of the APACC President, Prof. Dr. Suresh Kumar Dhameja. Lastly, Ms. Lee gave her special remarks and an orientation on the three-day schedule of activities.
Shortly after the opening program, the accreditation team began their tour of the QNAS facilities. During the visit, the APACC team interviewed some students and asked them for an actual demonstration to assess the learning competence in QNAS. The accreditation team also conducted a safety inspection to ensure the availability of fire extinguishers, first aid kits, and safety signages within the workshop rooms. On the following day, QNAS further facilitated the accreditation with a virtual tour for the accreditation team to explore the other facilities of the agricultural school.
The APACC Team interviews the QNAS Team on the seven APACC criteria.
The core of the three-day accreditation involved rigorous discussions with the QNAS management and faculty members as they presented their evidentiary documents to the APACC accreditors. QNAS was interviewed to elaborate their adherence to the indicators of the seven APACC criteria on (I) Governance and Management, (II) Teaching and Learning, (III) Human Resources, (IV) Research and Development, (V) Image and Sustainability, (VI) Other Resources, and (VII) Support to Students.
QNAS expresses appreciation to the APACC Accreditation Team during the exit meeting.
The evaluation activity concluded with an exit meeting that was held on the last day. QNAS Superintendent, Ms. Manlapas, in her closing remarks, expressed appreciation for the dedication shown by the QNAS management and faculty members in preparation for the APACC accreditation. She also thanked the APACC team for their detailed feedback on each criterion. Lead Accreditor, Ms. Lee presented the partial qualitative results as she provided the preliminary commendations, affirmations, and recommendations (CAR) found during the evaluation activity. Member Accreditor, Dr. Kesavan delivered his closing remarks wherein he emphasized the importance of strategic planning for sustained institutional success. QNAS conveyed their appreciation to the APACC Accreditation Team for the quality guidance provided to them for the duration of the accreditation process.
Findings from the on-site visit will be reported to the APACC Board for further review. The final results of the third cycle will be given to Quezon National Agricultural School QNAS once the evaluation process is completed.
