Who we are
The Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) is a private, voluntary, non-profit, and non-stock corporation that was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 5, 1957. PAASCU is a service organization that accredits, or quality assures academic programs of its member schools and does institutional accreditation.
The purpose of PAASCU is to support member schools in their journey towards quality improvement that is grounded in the institution’s educational philosophy as well as its unique vision and mission. PAASCU envisions accreditation to be a continuous development process that provides opportunity to engage the entire school community and its stakeholders in a careful and thorough evaluation of its objectives, plans, programs, systems, resources, and results through self-survey as well as benefit from an external review done by peer educators.
Vision
To be the leading external quality assurance agency for schools in the Philippines and beyond.
Mission
PAASCU is committed to the following:
- Promote the realization of member institutions’ vision and mission, compliance with regulatory requirements, achievement of evidenced excellence in learning outcomes, and responsiveness to stakeholders;
- Support the internal quality assurance initiatives of institutions by advocating external quality assurance through voluntary accreditation that is developmental in approach;
- Ensure the sustainability of the Association and the growth of its members, leadership, accreditors, and staff; and
- Serve the national and global communities by advocating a culture of excellence and responsibility in education.
Organization of PAASCU
The Association is governed by a 15-person Board of Trustees elected at large by members during the Annual General Assembly. It has nine (9) Commissions – Commission on Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Basic Education, Tertiary Education, Information Technology Education, Engineering and Architecture, Graduate Education, Allied Health Sciences Education, and on Medical Education, with at least seven (7) but not more than fifteen (15) members each.
The day-to-day operations of PAASCU are handled by a Secretariat headed by an Executive Director. The Secretariat manages the logistics of the survey visits, invites accreditors, prepares reports, and implements projects of the Board and different Commissions.
Core Values
Pursuing quality education drives the association’s vision, mission, objectives, and all its undertakings. It is a continuing and cyclical process.
Initiatives are undertaken to ensure the relevance of standards, appropriateness of accreditation practices, and innovativeness.
Decisions and undertakings are evidence-based, using factual information and ensuring fairness and impartiality. PAASCU has clear policies on confidentiality and conflict of interest.
PAASCU is rigorous and objective yet developmental and compassionate in its accreditation practices.
The internal and external processes are transparent, and the accreditation decision is straightforward and duly communicated to stakeholders.
PAASCU takes responsibility for the judgments and decisions that are made.
Changes and modifications are considered when developing standards and instruments in the accreditation practice to ensure relevance.
PAASCU and the member institutions and stakeholders espouse and foster a collegial environment through collaboration and networking.
Quality Policy
At the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities (PAASCU), we are dedicated to enabling our member institutions to realize their vision and mission. We do this by providing developmental voluntary accreditation that will allow them to comply with regulatory requirements, achieve evidence-excellence in learning outcomes, and be responsive to their stakeholders, particularly learners.
Our commitment at PAASCU is to comply with and maintain an effective quality management system. We do this by periodically reviewing and validating our accreditation standards and processes based on our member schools’ requirements for external accreditation, learning from their feedback, and complying with regulatory requirements. We are also committed to continually striving for improvement in line with our quality objectives. This commitment to continuous improvement is a cornerstone of our operations, ensuring the fulfillment of our mission.
Quality Objectives
- Advocate for external quality assurance through voluntary accreditation that will support the internal quality assurance initiatives of institutions
- Provide opportunities for PAASCU leadership, accreditors, and staff to achieve the expected attributes and competencies relevant to their tasks and responsibilities
- Review periodically the accreditation standards, survey instruments, and policies for relevance
- Engage with member institutions, relevant regulatory, professional, and QA bodies, both local and international, on issues that affect external quality assurance
