The ALCUCOA considers accreditation as an imperative for local colleges and universities to undergo if indeed they seek to achieve their stated vision and mission and thus truly provide quality education to their students. While accreditation is done voluntarily by member schools, ALCUCOA invites and highly encourages all LCUs to participate because its accreditation process allows for a comprehensive review and a distinct understanding of the particular contexts and challenges experienced by those coming from the local public higher education sector.
There are various benefits that LCUs could gain from accreditation. The main benefits include, first, the awareness that ALCUCOA provides to LCUs with regard to standards that they need to attain. Second, through an ALCUCOA accreditation, LCUs are able to know the strengths, weaknesses, and areas of development of their different academic programs. Third, the accreditation services and activities provided by ALCUCOA further help LCUs to clearly identify the areas that need support especially in terms of funding. Fourth, even if LCUs are public schools, an accreditation from ALCUCOA helps parents to decide where they may send their children for quality education. Finally, getting accredited by ALCUCOA ultimately provides prestige to LCUs.
A key feature of the accreditation process done by ALCUCOA is the evaluation of programs based on specific areas, including governance, faculty, curriculum and instruction, research, and extension, among others. Each area is broken down into very specific and detailed aspects and every program subjected to accreditation must comply with such aspects and requirements.
The accreditation process of ALCUCOA therefore thoroughly looks into every detail of a program to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. An LCU may, for instance, find itself successful at following the prescribed curriculum yet also lacking when it comes to other areas such as student services or physical plant. It must be noted that accreditation is not meant to criticize but to assist LCUs to address different concerns.
Given that accreditation is meant to help LCUs to improve their systems and overall quality, ALCUCOA in effect enables groundbreaking educational innovation. For ALCUCOA, accreditation does not only mean LCUs are compliant with basic standards of quality assurance but are also able to reach their full potential by coming up with their own significant contributions to the field of higher education through new, creative, and trailblazing curricula, programs, projects, and efforts covering instruction, research, and social engagement. In this sense, ALCUCOA is a distinct accrediting body for how it encourages LCUs to not be limited to minimum requirements and instead push the boundaries of Philippine higher education.
Member institutions of the ALCUCOA therefore pursue educational innovation for the noble purpose of social inclusion. If LCUs are innovative, it follows that they are also able to address perennial issues in education and society in general. In particular, they are able to provide more accessible quality education for students whose lives will then improve and who will eventually make an impact in society.
It cannot be denied that an accreditation status conferred by ALCUCOA is tantamount to the affirmation of an LCU’s certified credibility, reputation, and overall legitimacy as an institution of higher learning. Since its inception in 2003, ALCUCOA successfully solidified its credibility as the primary accrediting body for local higher education institutions, given its history and tradition of enabling excellence in higher education and overall track record in promoting quality assurance in the Philippines. Its national board is composed of respected and renowned academics and education managers with extensive academic and professional background and expertise. It also carefully selects and rigorously trains its diverse set of accreditors—scholars with the right qualifications, academic degrees, key leadership positions, and, most importantly, integrity—who have proven themselves whether in academe or industry.
The manifold achievements of LCUs accredited by ALCUCOA indeed attest to the legitimacy it provides. They are often the ones that register high employability rates and exceptional board examination passing rates in different fields and professions. These LCUs consistently strive to do better to further improve their quality of education and therefore attain higher levels of accreditation.
In view of this multifaceted discussion on the raison d’etre of accreditation, ALCUCOA essentially embodies quality assurance to ensure that LCUs at the very least observe the minimum value of accreditation to protect their students. In the long haul, the ones who benefit from accreditation are no less than students of who come from local communities and are of high potential to do great things
To reiterate, it is the desire of ALCUCOA to meaningfully contribute to the improvement of institutions and their programs, ultimately fostering among LCUs a strong and vibrant culture of internal quality and excellence