ZAMBOANGA CITY — Sultan Kudarat State University (SKSU) strengthened its commitment to continuous institutional improvement as it joined higher education leaders and quality assurance practitioners in the 3rd Workshop on University’s Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) Implementation in the Philippines Utilising the AUN-QA IQA Management Toolkit Version 1.3, which concluded on September 17 at the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) Gymnasium.
Led by University President Atty. Cyrus E. Torrena, DPA, MNSA, the SKSU delegation participated in the three-day capacity-building workshop alongside university presidents, administrators, and quality assurance practitioners from Philippine higher education institutions. The activity provided participating universities with frameworks and practical approaches for strengthening internal quality assurance systems within their respective institutional contexts.
The final day shifted the focus from learning the principles and components of IQA toward translating them into concrete institutional actions. Mr. Panupong Sriudom of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (SEAMEO RIHED) facilitated the session “Developing Action Plans for Your University,” followed by an extended working session where participants developed action plans based on their institutional needs and priorities.
The afternoon session, “Learning from Each Other 2,” provided a venue for participating institutions to share experiences, approaches, and insights on quality assurance. The session was moderated by ASEAN Quality Assurance Network (AQAN) President Dr. Milabel E. Ho and SEAMEO RIHED Centre Director Choltis Dhirathiti, Ph.D.
For SKSU, the workshop served as an opportunity to gain practical perspectives that can contribute to the University’s continuing efforts to strengthen its internal quality assurance mechanisms. The engagement also allowed the University to learn from the experiences of peer institutions and quality assurance leaders while examining how quality management principles can be adapted to its own institutional context.
The three-day initiative supports Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) by promoting stronger institutional systems that contribute to improved learning experiences and educational outcomes, and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) through sustained collaboration and knowledge-sharing among higher education institutions and quality assurance organizations.
