BRIEF HISTORY

     PHILIPPINE ASSOCIATION FOR GRADUATE EDUCATION (PAGE) ON TURNING 40     

     In these change-driven, success-motivated times, when continuing professional education is recognized as an imperative for the college graduate if he is to be competitive, the pursuit of graduate studies has become a must as the foremost means of professional upgrading. And with these awareness comes the felt need for closely monitoring the institutions of graduate education. The organization that has imposed on itself this task in collaboration with Government is the Philippine Association for Graduate Education (PAGE). Established in 1962, this year it turns forty. In this its fortieth year of existence PAGE looks back to long years of conscientious service to member institutions and professionals, and looks forward to the future in continuing partnership with the Commission on Higher Education with whom its interest are most closely linked. In the 1970's PAGE was instrumental in formulating MECS Order No. 7, Series of 1972 on "Policies and Standards for Graduate Education", the provisions of which are religiously observed by a number of graduate schools. PAGE is only too well aware that Philippine graduate schools must now prepare their students for leadership positions that will enable them to meet work challenges with a global perspective.
    

     How important is a graduate school to an institution of learning? The late Dr. Paz Policarpio Mendez of Centro Escolar University, during her time as PAGE officer, said of a graduate school:

     In most countries a graduate school is a necessary component of a university operating under the American pattern. Indeed, every ambitious college in our country establishes a graduate school and nurtures it with the hope of someday being recognized by the government as a university…As the highest step in the educational ladder the graduate school is the hallmark of prestige, and of scholarliness, whether deserved or not. It adorns an educational institution much as a jewel set with diamonds and pearls adorns a young lady.
    

     Over the past 39 years PAGE has reached out to member institutions and educators, holding national conferences in and outside Manila which thresh out themes of explicit and implicit relevance to the growth and stability of graduate education in the country. Its 37th national convention this year scheduled for February 26-28 will be held in Cagayan de Oro City with PAGE Regional Chapter X as host and the VIP Hotel on Velez Street as venue. Delegates from Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao will reflect on the conference theme "Current National Policies on Graduate Education: Clarification for Effective Implementation" in response to contemporary needs of graduate schools in the Philippine setting.
    

     Inception of the Organization     

     After PAGE turned 34 in 1996 the late Dr. Concesa M. Baduel, the organization's historian, recorded in the 1997 PAGE Journal an account of the organization's inception and early years. As she herself was in the Bureau of Private Schools she recalled that in the early 1960's the quality of Philippine graduate education became the earnest concern of the Bureau Director Dr. Jesus E. Perpinan who consequently invited the graduate school deans to a meeting (at his office on Arroceros Street next the City Hall) the agenda of which included the status of graduate education, problems in graduate schools, and suggestions on how to raise the standards of education on graduate level. Subsequently, on June 18, 1962, Dr. Pablo T. Mateo, Jr, then asst. director, met the graduate school deans at the Old Selecta on Lepanto Street and again on July 3 to discuss with them the "possibility of organizing a national association of graduate schools primarily as an instrument to assist Government in its efforts to improve the quality of graduate education". As a result, on September 26, 1962 the "Philippine Association for Gr4aduate Education (PAGE)" was formally organized with Dr. Pablo T. Mateo as the first president.          

     Goals and Objectives     

     This event "opened a new era of awareness of the need for quality in graduate education" and a manifestation of this awareness was the organization's first convention held at the Philippine Women's University on the theme "Pressing Problems of Graduate Education in the Philippines". BPS Director Perpinan who was quite impressed with the enthusiastic response from the graduate institutions, considered it "the fulfillment of a dream - the hope of contributing to the attainment of a national goal of Government, the improvement of the quality of human life".     

     Since its inception PAGE has concentrated its efforts on establishing rules and standards and proof is the theme of its second convention "Standards for Graduate Education". However, by the 33rd year of PAGE existence, the general perception was that, through the years, results of the striving for quality "seemed imperceptible" and thus there was a need for "more vigorous implementation of the ideals of the organization". Dr. Baduel suggested an "inventory of the PAGE goals and objectives to understand better the causes of the slow pace of improvement". What are these objectives?     

     In general, the primary purpose of PAGE is to pursue the quest for quality and excellence in graduate education through the encouragement and promotion of development programs, projects and activities in research, scholarship, faculty and staff development, curricular relevance and refinement, and such other activities conducive to the attainment of graduate education goals.     

     In particular, PAGE exerts all efforts:

1. to encourage and promote the production and dissemination of basic and functional research;
2. to promote scholarship, professional growth and administrative, supervisory and instructional competence;
3. to make reciprocally available the library and other research facilities and resources of members;
4. to participate in the solution of problems in education; and
5. to contribute to the attainment of the goals of national government.

     Thrusts / Concerns     

     Starting with the fourth national convention held at Far Eastern University PAGE had shifted its attention to research, adopting then as convention theme, "New Knowledge through Research". At this point a valid question was raised: "Was the so-called research output of the graduate schools really adequate for the aspiring graduate student to utilize and to help him in his search for truth?" It was obvious that by then the organization was sensing the need for self criticism, was indulging in self appraisal of its role in promoting compliance with the rules and standards. In the many years under the leadership of Fr. Ramon C. Salinas as PAGE president, this introspective assessment went on and in relation to other concerns like social and economic development, college teaching in the Philippine setting, students-faculty-administration relations in higher education, functional research, preservation and transmission of the cultural heritage, and education for peace and national unity.     

     In the ensuing years PAGE was kept busy looking into the state of the art in graduate education. For the purpose it developed an evaluation instrument to "assess the performance of each graduate school in a desire to eliminate charges of incompetence and mismanagement". A survey instrument on situational analysis of Graduate Education was adopted in 1972, was revived in 1985 and lately, in 1995, underwent some revisions.     

     Under the leadership of Dr. Belen B. de Jesus who succeeded Fr. Salinas as president, PAGE focused its attention on emergent global concerns in the new millennium including increased concern for research, environment and linkages.     

     Under the present leadership of Dr. Rosita L. Navarro of Centro Escolar University, PAGE marked a milestone with the formulation of the PAGE vision for the years 2001-2006 to be pursued according to a strategic blueprint covering four major areas: organizational development, quality assurance, relevance and access; and innovations - complete with expected outcomes, strategies to achieve goals, resource requirements/sourcing and expected dates of completion.     

     In a sense PAGE has tried to be, in the words of Dr. Baduel, "a kind of watchdog" over graduate education policies and standards. It is serving as a "monitoring device intended to halt any perceived decline in graduate education". How successfully it is doing this is measurable in terms of the weakest link in the chain, as some graduate schools can be taken to the water but not all may be willing to drink.     

     In an assembly of graduate educators in 1995 and at a 1996 educators congress the former CHED Chairman Angel C. Alcala lamented the "dismal lack of the values of creativity, independent thinking and competencies in conducting original and useful research in graduate education". Instead of becoming prolific researchers and creators of knowledge, he pointed out many graduate students are "stricken with the unit mania virus" that is, they are in graduate studies for the units to be earned, prerequisite to promotion in rank or position.     

     In his time as Education Secretary, Dr.Carlos P. Romulo "expressly held that individual graduate schools be responsible for the quality and integrity of theses and dissertations" which is a persistent problem in the field of graduate education. This gave then President Mateo occasion to ask "Did the enjoyment of greater autonomy by the graduate schools produce salutary effects particularly in elevating graduate education standards?" The thought has bothered not a few educational leaders who are seriously intent on, engaged in, improving the quality of graduate education. Seeing to it that the not-so-conscientious institutions toe the line, and keeping autonomy from being abused could be quite a problem, indeed. The problem is the subject of discussion at the 37th national conference, designed to clarify issues in four areas of inquiry: regional quality assessment and control, full autonomy and deregulation, voluntary accreditation, and vertical articulation in graduate program administration.