The Commission on Higher Education – Caraga Regional Office (CHED Caraga) conducted a Post-Typhoon Odette conference and workshop with key officials of all Caraga Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and regional professional associations on February 18, 2022, via Zoom teleconferencing platform.
The conference and workshop aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the damages sustained by affected HEIs and their stakeholders due to Supertyphoon Odette, conceptualize possible resolutions and aid provided to the affected stakeholders, and affirm commitments and resolution implementations.
The conference portion of the activity was held during the morning session and provided an opportunity for representatives of a few affected HEIs to give brief reports on the state of their damaged facilities and feature personal stories of students and their families who were severely affected by the typhoon. The reporting HEIs were the following: Surigao State College of Science and Technology (SSCT) Del Carmen and Malimono Campuses, Surigao Education Center (SEC), Siargao Island Institute of Technology (SIIT), and Caraga Institute of Technology (CIT). An open forum followed where participants could further discern the pertinent needs of the HEIs to facilitate post-disaster recovery.
A workshop followed in the afternoon, wherein representatives of the participating HEIs and regional professional associations grouped in breakout sessions by province, facilitated by CHED Caraga Education Supervisors II and the representatives of the affected HEIs. The groups discussed the needs of the affected HEIs and their stakeholders, the response objectives, the proposed strategy and actions, the responsible agencies, and the expected outcomes. Each group’s resulting outputs and commitments were reported in the main session and commented on by CHED Caraga Regional Director Dr. George M. Colorado.
Moving forward, the Regional Office will review the commitments and strategize the next steps for implementing and monitoring various proposed efforts.