TABUK CITY, Kalinga – On August 28, 2024, Kalinga State University (KSU)-Dagupan Campus celebrated its 50th anniversary with the theme “Honoring the Past, Celebrating Success, Embracing the Future”.
The institution was formerly known as Kalinga Community of Trades and Industry (KCCTI), and was renamed as both Kalinga Community College (KCC) and Kalinga-Apayao State College (KASC) before finally becoming known as KSU.
In his message, KSU President Dr. Eduardo Bagtang said that as the occasion is historic, it is only appropriate to commemorate this important milestone and pay tribute to the pioneering teachers of the former KCCTI and KCC.
‘The only state university in the Province of Kalinga would not have existed without the committed pioneer teachers who set the path for the establishment of State University,’ he continued.
Even though they were receiving very little or almost no pay at the time and had a makeshift classroom that was regularly mocked as a pig sty, Bagtang commended them for persevering in teaching the students and had taught them well.
He challenged the younger, better-paid generation of teachers to put in greater effort in teaching their students to emulate the pioneers’ commitment and hard work and help define the school’s future course.
The university president also stated that post-graduate studies, law, and medicine, among other things, will be offered at KSU’s Dagupan campus, which will become the university’s professional and academic campus.
Enrique Baliang, speaking on behalf of City Mayor Darwin Estrañero, welcomed the pioneering instructors and revealed that he was once a teacher at the same institution.
“We congratulate those who succeeded and those who initiated the school’s founding,” he stated. “Nagpaspas ti panagdakkel na [ti KSU].”
Baliang added that the Estrañero administration has always prioritized education as one of its top goals and that they can count on ongoing support from the Tabuk City Local Government Unit (CLGU).
Baliang added that the Estrañero administration has always prioritized education as one of its top goals and that they can count on ongoing support from the Tabuk City Local Government Unit (CLGU).
Finally, Baliang announced that the city administration, acting through the city mayor, intended to raise the CLGU scholarship recipients’ allowance in order to better support Tabuk students.
At the conclusion of the event, the pioneer faculty members and their families received a plaque of recognition from the KSU president as a token of appreciation for their commitment, selflessness, and role as the school’s cornerstone. By Edward Joseph Gacuya
