RATIONALE BEHIND THE MISSION OF FERNANDEZ COLLEGES
Filipinos put a high value on the education of their children. Despite scant financial resources, parents see to it that their children finish at least high school, or even better a college degree. With almost free tuition fee in the public elementary and high school levels, it is not so difficult to have a high school graduate in any household. Tertiary education though is another story because there aren’t many state universities and colleges. On top of this, entry requirements are stringent in these schools. This is the reason why there is a great need for the participation of the private sector in education.
Traditionally, many parents have sent their children to Manila to undertake their tertiary studies. This is now slowly changing and tertiary enrollment in the provinces around Manila is growing at a rate of 30% to 40% every year because of the prohibitive cost of education in Manila. Crimes associated with city residence, traffic problems and high cost of living have discouraged many to go to Manila. It is for these reasons that a school such as Fernandez College of Arts and Technology was put up by the administration to provide quality, low cost and effective education to help the community through developing the youth.
Traditionally, many parents have sent their children to Manila to undertake their tertiary studies. This is now slowly changing and tertiary enrollment in the provinces around Manila is growing at a rate of 30% to 40% every year because of the prohibitive cost of education in Manila. Crimes associated with city residence, traffic problems and high cost of living have discouraged many to go to Manila. It is for these reasons that a school such as Fernandez College of Arts and Technology was put up by the administration to provide quality, low cost and effective education to help the community through developing the youth.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF FERNANDEZ COLLEGES
Fernandez College of Arts and Technology started as a technical skills school in Cruz na Daan, San Rafael, Bulacan in June 1993 with about 250 students. With a dream to help many more financially challenged but deserving students, FCAT established its’ main branch in Baliuag, Bulacan. By June 1996, there were around 900 students and this would continue to increase over the years because of the school’s pursuit of it’s mission and vision.
Currently it has 3 branches: 2 in Baliuag and 1 in Cruz na Daan with a total of around 1500 students. The College is now a non-stock non-profit organization which offers a variety of 4-year courses and 2-year technical skills courses as well as offering review and modular courses such as caregiver. The college emphasizes effective education that helps its’ graduates face life’s challenges.
Currently it has 3 branches: 2 in Baliuag and 1 in Cruz na Daan with a total of around 1500 students. The College is now a non-stock non-profit organization which offers a variety of 4-year courses and 2-year technical skills courses as well as offering review and modular courses such as caregiver. The college emphasizes effective education that helps its’ graduates face life’s challenges.
MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY
The President and Vice President, Mr. and Mrs. Marcelo V. Fernandez, as well as their two sons (one of who is a lawyer and the other a professional teacher) envision the school to bring technology, arts and education to the countryside which can compare with the standards in Manila schools if not better. They started doing business in 1991, two years after coming back from their long stay in Papua New Guinea and Australia where they honed their skills as educators. The management believes that under the drive of the Government for better education, one of the keys to bringing the country in step with newly-industrialized countries of Asia (NICs) for short is to provide in demand skills to the youth that will be immediately useful to the mushrooming manufacturing and service industries throughout the country as well as supplying the needs for overseas employment.
The owners therefore aspire to provide these needed skills to the students in the shortest time possible at the lowest expense possible, striking a balance between quality and speed of acquiring the skills. The executives are basically educators who have been into teaching and school administration here in the Philippines and overseas (Papua New Guinea and Australia) for many years and their burning ambition is to operate an honest to goodness quality school in this part of the Philippines. They feel that it is in the area of education that they can help the country most because of their educational background, expertise and experience. As both usually say, the school is foremost a mission and secondly a business venture.
The owners therefore aspire to provide these needed skills to the students in the shortest time possible at the lowest expense possible, striking a balance between quality and speed of acquiring the skills. The executives are basically educators who have been into teaching and school administration here in the Philippines and overseas (Papua New Guinea and Australia) for many years and their burning ambition is to operate an honest to goodness quality school in this part of the Philippines. They feel that it is in the area of education that they can help the country most because of their educational background, expertise and experience. As both usually say, the school is foremost a mission and secondly a business venture.
OUR MISSION AND VISION
The mission of the College is to produce graduates with the highest possible level of Analytical and Technical Skills as well as Ethical and Liberal knowledge. Furthermore, the College shall instill in them a spirit of nationalism in a world of global competitiveness. This is in line with the mandates of CHED and TESDA to align our nation to the new world of the 21st century where only the BEST will do.
Our vision is to see our graduates spreading across the world, proud and tall as Filipinos, working hard and competently in respective areas of work, making them citizens of the world, even as they proclaim: I am Filipino.
Our vision is to see our graduates spreading across the world, proud and tall as Filipinos, working hard and competently in respective areas of work, making them citizens of the world, even as they proclaim: I am Filipino.