South Cotabato town’s community college gets CHED permit

CHED-Soccsksargen officials inspect the facilities of the newly established Tampakan Community College (TCC) in Tampakan, South Cotabato. After the inspection, CHED issued TCC its permit to operate, paving the way for the college to open and welcome its first batch of students for School Year 2026-2027. (Photo courtesy of Tampakan LGU) TAMPAKAN, South Cotabato — The newly established Tampakan Community College (TCC) has secured clearance from the Commission on Higher Education-Soccsksargen (CHED-Soccsksargen) to start operating this year.Classes are set to begin on Aug. 3, with the college initially offering a Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness course for its first batch of 120 students.Mayor Leonard Escobillo said the college is now open for enrollees, with the municipal government’s Project Management Office still screening applicants before endorsing qualified scholars to the school. READ: DepEd, CHED, Tesda launch One Education to accelerate education, reformsAs part of the preparations for the opening, Escobillo himself led the scholarship orientation for the first batch of TCC students, briefing the scholars on the benefits of the program, school policies, and their responsibilities while studying at the college.The mayor said the local government ensured that students would have a conducive learning environment when classes open.Students will receive free tuition, one set of school uniforms, computer access, medical checkups, and coverage for physical education and the National Service Training Program (NSTP), all funded by the municipal government. While the local government will shoulder the student expenses this year, Escobillo said that they will partner with other agencies for the scholarships of students next school year. Article continues after this advertisement The college has fully air-conditioned classrooms and learning facilities, a first among community-run colleges in the area to provide students with a more comfortable learning environment, he said. READ: CHEd to educators: Work together to boost higher education in PHEscobillo also announced that employees of the Tampakan municipal government who were unable to finish college will be allowed to continue their education through the community college.The local government plans to increase TCC’s academic offerings to three degree programs in its second year of operation. A survey will be conducted among Grade 12 students to know their preferences in courses and the skills needed by the industries in Tampakan.The scholarship program is initially open to qualified residents of Tampakan from low-income families as part of the local government’s effort to make higher education more accessible.The community college was a product of the municipal government’s desire for young Tampakeños to have a college degree without leaving the municipality or paying the high cost of studying elsewhere./coa Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful.