(PNA) – Sultan Kudarat officials are pushing for the development of the province as the next academic and research hub in southern and central Mindanao following the conversion last month of the area’s lone government-owned college into a state university.
Sultan Kudarat Governor Suharto Mangudadatu said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo finally signed last January 25 Republic Act (RA) 9966, which elevated the five campus-Sultan Kudarat Polytechnic State College (SKPSC) to full university status.
The new law officially renamed the college’s main base in Tacurong City and its designated campuses in the municipalities of Kalamansig, Palimbang, Lutayan and Isulan to Sultan Kudarat State University (SKSU).
“This is a major development for the province and will mainly boost our efforts to provide quality and affordable education to our people,†Mangudadatu said.
SKPSC’s universityhood was mainly based on House Bill 6311, which was initially filed by Sultan Kudarat (1st District) Rep. Datu Pax Mangudadatu on July 25, 2007.
A counterpart measure was sponsored in the Senate by Senator Panfilo Lacson.
Under RA 9966, the new university was mandated to “primarily provide advanced instruction and professional training in science and technology, agriculture, fisheries, education and other relevant fields of study.â€
It should also “undertake research and extension, and provide progressive leadership in its areas of specialization,†inorder to meet the needs of Sultan Kudarat province and Region 12 or Southwestern Mindanao.
Region 12 covers the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Kidapawan, Tacurong and Cotabato.
SKSU, which assumes government corporate operations, will offer scholarship programs and other affirmative action initiatives to assist poor but deserving students from the area who would qualify for admission.
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