VSU recognized for excellence in Teacher Education at the 2025 EQUATE Awards

VSU was awarded the Excellence in Quality Assurance in Teacher Education (EQUATE) by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) during the 2025 EQUATE Awards on April 2, 2025, at the Manila Hotel, Ermita, Manila.

Out of the 1,553 Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs), VSU was among the 120 awardees honored for its commitment to upholding the CHED's highest standards in pre-service teacher education and meeting the agency's policies, accreditation requirements and its outstanding performance in the Board Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (BLEPT).

This accolade makes VSU one of the best TEIs in the country that contributed in shaping the teacher education landscape in the region and beyond. 

Commitment to Quality Education

The EQUATE Award highlights the focus of VSU's Faculty of Teacher Education (FTE) on academic excellence, innovation, and maintaining high standards of quality assurance for the secondary level.

The Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd) program is compliant with the standards set by CHED, which means that they adhere to CHED’s policies, standards, and guidelines.

Further, in the March 2024 Licensure Examination for Professional Teacher, VSU Main Campus garnered a 92.64% passing rate for the secondary level, ranking 7th among the top-performing schools nationwide. 

Additionally, the university recorded three topnotchers for the secondary level for the first time. 

[Also see here: VSU produces 4 topnotchers in teachers' board; top 7 school at secondary level | Visayas State University]

Former Dean Dr. Bayron S. Barredo of the then College of Education, now Faculty of Teacher Education, expressed his gratitude to all the people who have worked to receive this prestigious award for the faculty.

“Receiving the award is truly an honor, and I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to this recognition. First, I want to acknowledge the hard work and passion of our core and affiliate faculty members. Their dedication in teaching, alongside their research, extension efforts, and their support during AACCUP accreditation and program evaluations, played a big part in helping us achieve this. I also want to give a special mention to our administrative and support staff whose efforts have been just as essential to our success,” Dr. Barredo shared.

Dr. Barredo also acknowledged the hard work and continuous support of the past and current university administration, whose leadership laid the foundation for teacher education, which enabled the faculty to reach what they are today.

Moving Forward

The EQUATE award has positioned VSU as one of the leading institutions in teacher education, strengthening faculty members and administrators to further enhance its program and continue its legacy of excellence in education.

“This award will be a reminder for us to keep improving the teacher education programs. It pushes us to maintain high standards, get creative with our teacher training, and have a bigger impact on education policies and practices. In the end, the EQUATE Award isn’t just about celebrating what we’ve done but it’s also about setting the faculty for even more growth and influence in teacher education in the future," Dr. Barredo added.

This award motivates the FTE’s reputation as a teacher training institution, which will attract more partnerships, research grants, and more qualified students and faculty members.

Along with Dr. Barredo are VSU President Dr. Prose Ivy G. Yepes and the Director for Quality Assurance Dr. Joel Rey U. Acob who received the said award.

Aside from VSU, Leyte Normal University, University of Eastern Philippines, Eastern Samar State University-Main Campus, and Southern Leyte State University- Tomas Oppus Campus were also recipients of this award in Eastern Visayas.

This article is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education).

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