Further studies make better professors

MANILA, Philippines - Learning is a continuous process for university professors. Postgraduate degrees, an advantageous option in other professions, are not only a necessary qualification for members of the academe but are a means to advance in one’s career.  

For John Anthony Yason and Sittie Aisha Macabago, faculty members of Far Eastern University’s (FEU) biology department, further education provides a more fundamental benefit: It holds the key to being better teachers.

Yason, who was awarded a research scholarship by the National University of Singapore (NUS) and is presently pursuing a PhD degree in microbiology at its School of Medicine said, “I can share with my future students the knowledge I will obtain from of my studies along with new techniques and approaches on how to tackle a scientific problem,” he explains.

This sentiment is echoed by Macabago, a Fulbright graduate scholar who is taking her doctorate in Biology at the University of Arkansas (UArk). She believes her continuing education will add value to her “teach-by-example” philosophy.

“I will have more to offer; I can take part in molding the younger generation,” she adds

Both Yason and Macabago have also acknowledged that their exposure to foreign cultures will help them widen their horizons and become more receptive to differing perspectives — qualities that are important for all.

Both professors feel that the decision to pursue their PhDs comes at an opportune time. The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) has recently identified biology as a priority course under the Natural Sciences category, because of the projected employment opportunities in the field.  Yason and Macabago both agree that the program can lead to jobs in the academe, on research, and industries such as pharmaceuticals.

Meanwhile, to further equip its students with the necessary learning tools and to keep them competitive, FEU plans to update its facilities by building 14 state-of-the-art laboratories to cater to various science and technology fields, including molecular biology, microbiology, zoology and physiology.

However, since quality instruction is at the heart of a superior education, the focus on faculty development remains a topmost priority for the university.

“Faculty members of the biology department are encouraged to attend workshops and conferences for them to keep abreast of the latest trends in science education,” comments Dr. Myrna Quinto, dean of the FEU Institute of Arts & Sciences.