How UM Made to Produce Many Topnotchers?

For the past years, it has always been with pride and honor that many graduates of the University of Mindanao have placed in the top 10 of the government’s licensure examinations in various fields. Since 2014, UM has produced a total of 223 topnotchers, making it the leading producer of licensure exam topnotchers in Mindanao among higher education institutions. This achievement is based on the published data of the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC). UM’s number is followed by a state university with more than a hundred topnotchers in the same period.

“UM’s policy of quality education is based on the concept of ‘fitness for purpose’ and ‘transformative education’, and this is embodied in the institution’s mission statement of democratizing access to education—making higher education more inclusive as it welcomes everyone regardless of their socio-economic status, and academic background,” as explained by Dr. Reynaldo Castro, the Vice President of UM External Relations and International Affairs. This is in contrast to the usual practices of many HEIs that adhere to the concept of ‘exceptionality’ – exclusive, elitist, with limited accessibility based on certain conditions, like results in the entrance exams or even socio-economic status. So, the challenge of UM is to produce graduates who have similar attributes and abilities to those coming from the ‘exclusivist’ HEIs, despite the diverse background of its students.

Recently, three (3) UMians, namely Rey Arcabal for Mechanical Engineer, John Joseph Kagatan for Real Estate Broker, and Arllan Feoj Santillan for Master Plumber, were topnotchers in the 2024 licensure exams as recorded by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). For the year 2024, UM has already posted 20 topnotchers in various PRC exams.

So, what then are the secret formula of UM? If there’s any.

Dr. Castro revealed that UM’s strategies are similar to those employed by many HEIs. It employs qualified and competent faculty, maintains well-equipped laboratories and facilities, adopts a comprehensive student support service, and continuously submits to external quality evaluations. It also visits other HEIs in the country and abroad for benchmarking purposes, especially in identifying UM’s comparative strengths and weaknesses.

Besides the usual mechanisms to maintain quality and standard, UM is also the first to adopt ‘rewarding exemplary outcomes’ by providing incentives to graduates who placed in the PRC exams. The faculty members of the academic program where the graduate came from also receive incentives. This reward system has bolstered the effort of everyone – from the academic staff to the students – to perform well in the board exam.