A tale of two executives

CEBU, Philippines - Two propositions: “You don’t have to be a horse to be a good judge in a horserace.” “Education is social service not business.”

What do you make of these propositions when you relate them to running an educational institution? What credentials a school executive should have? Operating a school as a business proposition may not sound agreeable but when it comes to finances, it takes a lot of good business acumen to keep the operation from becoming a losing proposition. Two blue-blooded businessmen Consul and Engr. Samuel Chioson, and business and trade expert Dr. Efren S. Valiente have put on the educators robe and are now administering Benedicto College in Mandaue City. On the occasion of the college’s 10th year of operation, the two now take on some very pressing questions affecting our present educational system as they express their hearts and minds about their work as executive officers of an educational institution..

NTA: What is your idea of a “quality education?”

ENGR. CHIOSON: It means producing school graduates, at all levels from Basic Education to College Education, even Vocational-Technical Education, who become productive members of society. It must be emphasized that the foundation levels of education in the preparatory, elementary to high school are the most crucial levels and must be where the important focus of education should be. This pertains to education of toddlers of two and a half years of age up to fourth year high school, who are about to turn 17 or 18 years of age. In the Basic Education Department of Benedicto College, we are studying the possibility, and if feasible, with the concurrence of our parents, our school will be initiating a program that would enhance the learning of Math, Science, and English, of our pupils and students.

DR. VALIENTE: To produce quality graduates, the educational institution must have the ingredients – the components or pillars of learning – of the highest quality: a) strict admission policy to select top enrollees, b) relevant curricula, c) well-trained and motivated faculty, d) good and well-built infrastructure conducive to learning, and e)supportive school administrators who are educators at heart and operate with vision, passion, commitment and dedication. Quality education, therefore, can also be expressed in a formula: Input= Output, meaning if a school has all the quality ingredients as input, then all graduates or output of that school will also be of quality. 

NTA: How do you reconcile business and school operations? How is it if schools are operated as a trade and commerce affair?

ENGR. CHIOSON: One of the ingredients of an educational institution is infrastructure. I focus my role in Benedicto College in providing a conducive learning environment. This is where my professional background as civil engineer comes handy. Putting up a school requires a business background because one must study the market supply and demand, determine its feasibility and compute its return of investment. Education must not be a commodity, because unlike a factory that turns raw materials to finished products, education’s products are its graduates, who are human beings. An educational institution must respect that the dignity of the human species and must therefore conduct itself with sensitivity and act in an appropriate manner.

DR. VALIENTE: Today, especially in the Philippines educational landscape there exist a public-private mix. When the private sector goes into something, its almost always a business proposition that must be studied in terms of market feasibility, financial viability, and return on investment. But with sensitivity to the nature of an educational institution, the private sector does not consider education as a commodity, because unlike a manufacturing plant that turns raw materials into finished products, the products of an educational institution are human beings. But the private sector who are trained in good management use these competencies to operate schools efficiently and effectively. Good management simple means the   allocation and judicious use of available and oftentimes limited resources.

NTA: How do you address the problem of mismatch between graduates knowledge and the skills demands in the labor market?

ENGR. CHIOSON: A study conducted by Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry showed this mismatch, after which a consortium of industry players and the academia was organized to address this problem. The industry most affected was the Information Technology sector. Thus, the consortium Cebu Education for Information Technology (CED-FIT). Benedicto College, being one of the consortium founders, reviewed its College of Computer Studies curricula and incorporated many of the CED-FIT recommendations.

DR. VALIENTE: There are historical bases on this mismatch problem even as far back as the 19th century up to the present. With the advent of strong dynamic industries, demands for highly specialized manpower needs are accelerated.. This phenomenon will continue even in the years to come and industry and the academe must continue to look for ways so this mismatch can be resolved.

NTA: Where do you stand on the issue of increasing the number of years for the basic education program?

DR. VALIENTE: Research have proven that children who have longer years in school become more productive members of society. According to education experts all over the world, there is direct correlation to the talents of citizens with the number of years in the foundational years in the pre-school, elementary and high schools.

The longer the number of school years, the better. I am in favor of the proposal.

No doubt a mark of a good executive is knowledge of the demands and responsibilities of one’s tasks. No doubt, too, Engr.Consul Samuel Chioson and Dr. Efren Valiente have it. With the two, Benedicto College is in the hands of those who have the needed competencies. In its tenth year, the college is off to begin another phase of its existence to validate further its presence in the country’s educational landscape. (THE FREEMAN)