Extensive exchange of knowledge on quality assurance management blanketed the PSU Golden Lion Hotel as the University of the Philippines-Diliman embarked on a coaching session with Pangasinan State University champions of Philippine Quality Award (PQA).
PSU-PQA champions led by the University President Dr. Elbert M. Galas welcomed the quality assurance team of UP Diliman on July 19.
To date, PSU was conferred the Philippine Quality Award (PQA) Level 3 recognition on October 22, 2021 making it the first recipient of the prestigious award in quality management among State Universities and Colleges, both public and private.
Dr. Galas reiterated that the journey of the University in the attainment of PQA signifies strong collaborative effort of PSUnians.
“The PQA recognition was not achieved overnight. It was a result of concerted effort of all PSUnians who embraced quality assurance. The system management and process owners were crucial in the preparations. One process failure may affect the entire standing. It helped that we practice everything that is stated in our quality policy because these are instilled in every PSUnian,” Dr. Galas said.
Answering the query on how to get people on board the PQA bandwagon, former PSU President Dr. Dexter R. Buted, who ushered in the concept of quality management in the university, said every decision made during the preparation is not his alone, but the decision of everyone.
“It’s all about the power of WE. Changing the mindset and attitude of people is the hardest thing to do but with a system in-placed, people will embrace change for the better. As a leader, you must leave something that people will remember you for,” Dr. Buted said.
PQA champions in the six categories of the assessment tool also shared tips on clinching the award with Vice President Manolito Manuel of the Academic and Student Affairs, saying: “Everyone was at the same place at the same moment, ready for PQA.”
The Director for Quality Assurance Office of UP Diliman and the head of the delegation Dr. Aura C. Matias extended her immense gratitude to PSU for serving them a fruitful coaching session in achieving their goals towards PQA.
“We are humbled by your accommodation. Even if UP is considered as the national university, there is no such university which is a monopoly of all knowledge. We still have more to learn. We came here to benchmark your PQA but is so heartwarming that you called it a coaching session. Thank you so much ,PSU,” Dr. Matias added.
In the open forum, faculty motivation to keep them engaged, selection of technical working group (TWG) for categories and challenges encountered during the PQA journey were laid out.
The coaching session commenced with a breakout session with the TWG of the two institutions convening together for more comprehensive and detailed discussions.
The following day, the UP Delegates toured the offices and facilities of PSU for a first-hand experience of the system workflow.
PSU, the region’s premiere university of choice, continues to open its doors to state universities and colleges and other government institutions who wish to improve their systems and processes to deliver better service to their clientele.
