UA sees 23% jump in enrolment despite non-face to face contacts

According to the data released by the Admissions and Registrar’s Office of University of Antique (UA), the total enrolment in the first semester of the UA System increased by 23% as the total headcount rose to 21,992 from previous academic year’s 17,866 enrollees.

In the main campus alone, the College of Technology (COT) became the most populated college tallying 2,945 headcount, compelling the college to add eight sections in the first year on top of the 23 existing sections.

According to Dr. Lilian J. Farparan, dean of COT, the college hired new specialized faculty to teach in the first semester of the current academic year, most of whom are under contract of service.

“Due to the recently opened sections to cater non-qualifiers, the college is still looking for applicants who are qualified to teach the specialization subjects,” Dr. Farparan stated in a reply to an email sent by the Information and Publication (IAP).

In addition to the hiring of faculty, the college modified its laboratories as suggested by the standards set by the Commission on Higher Education should limited face-to-face classes be granted for UA.

“Each class shall be clustered into two groups with alternate schedules. Returning students shall likewise be advised to observe minimum health protocols while they are in school premises,” Dr. Farparan explained.

Dr. Pablo S. Crespo Jr., suggested that the college must “identify partner establishments or shops in municipalities where students can perform their hands-on and skill-based activities on a definite schedule.”

The College of Business and Accountancy ranked second highly populated college with 2,879 enrolled students this semester.

With six undergraduate programs offered, the College of Arts and Sciences enrolled 2,253 students.

The main campus in Sibalom saw a 27.79% increase in the enrolment while the two external campuses namely, Tario Lim Memorial Campus and Hamtic Campus increased by 8.37% and 10.22%, respectively.

Likewise, the extension campuses saw significant rise in enrolment with the Caluya Extension having 82.14% and Libertad Extension having 5.62% increase.

Meanwhile, the College of Teacher Education tallied 1,401 enrollees; the College of Engineering and Architecture with 1,172; the College of Maritime Studies with 1,109 enrollees.

With this increase in the student population, UA implemented the compulsory regular synchronous engagement between the faculty and the students using the e-skuela site as the repository of online learning materials and Google Meet or Zoom apps as video conferencing platforms for virtual classes.