RIZAL, KALINGA – Kalinga State University Rizal Campus marked its first founding anniversary and formally opened its new Agroforestry Laboratory and Academic Building in a ceremony on Tuesday, August 29.
KSU Rizal Campus, located in barangay Bulbul in the municipality of Rizal, is the first and only campus of Kalinga State University outside the provincial capital Tabuk City. It spans across 3.5 hectares of land, 2.4 hectares of which was donated by the local government unit (LGU) and the rest by Bulbul barangay captain Alfredo Gunnawa.
Gunnawa also donated another 15 hectares which will be the site of the mulberry production program of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in partnership with KSU Rizal. Mulberry trees are grown as food for silk worms, a kind of caterpillar that produces the cocoon used to make silk.
Yet another generous benefactor, in the person of local farmer Angel Wanawan, donated 380 hectares of land. One hundred hectares of it is utilized for the national greening program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) thru a Memorandum of Agreement with KSU Rizal Campus. The remaining 280 hectares, meanwhile, serve as pasture and grazing land for the school’s cows.
Campus Administrator Dr. William Bawagan related that it was 10 years ago that the school first opened (then as an extension campus of KSU, formerly called Kalinga-Apayao State College) its Bachelor of Science in Agroforestry and now it also employs 10 teachers. Bawagan said all of them are accommodated in the new Agroforestry Laboratory and Academic Building.
Seen to provide the students with a more conducive learning environment meant to improve their academic performance, the new school building is two storeys high, has three classrooms and physics, chemistry, and computer laboratories. KSU poured in almost P16 million to complete phase 3 of its construction with another P6 million for phase 4 under the General Appropriations Act.
Dr. Bawagan said it is likely that the new building had positively impacted their score during their evaluation for accreditation conducted on August 10. He revealed that KSU Rizal is in a bid to achieve a level 2 accreditation soon.
Right next to the Agroforestry Laboratory and Academic Building is another building currently under construction. It will house offices for much-needed student services, such as a medical clinic as well as the campus’ very own registrar’s office.
Though relatively small and young, KSU Rizal boasts graduates that have successfully gained employment in places such as Australia and Hawaii.
In a speech given on behalf of Congressman Allen Jesse Mangaoang, Gary Damian broke the good news that the budget of the congressional scholarship program for academic year 2017-2018 has increased threefold to P9.2 million.
Under the congressional scholarship program, a student of a state college or university can enjoy free tuition provided that she or he meets the academic and income requirements set by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
Congressman Mangaoang, in his message, touted KSU for producing board passers and for investing in better instruction facilities.
He gave his assurance that his commitment to help the improvement of KSU’s infrastructure will continue in terms of fund generation. He urged the students to be conscientious in their studies and reminded them that education is the key to an abundant life.
By Iryll Sicnao
