St. Dominic College Basic Education, through Principal Valerie H. Insigne conducted a benchmarking visit in Tokyo, Japan last November 8 to 12, 2022, which aims to guide SDCA Basic Education Department to develop more innovative strategies for an enhanced learning experience for its young learners.

Ms. Insigne visited Recruit Holdings in Tokyo, the main office of Quipper and Study Sapuri. Quipper is one of the partners of SDCBEd in the delivery of learning to the pupils and students while Study Sapuri is the Japanese equivalent of Quipper which Japanese students are using as their online learning platform.

Moreover, two basic education schools were also visited, namely the SEIRYO Junior High School in Kagoshima, Shinagawa Shoei Junior and Senior High School in Tokyo.

The past two years have changed the St. Dominic College Basic Education deliver teaching and learning to its students yet, it also brought new, innovative, and creative strategies for the benefit of our student needs.

St. Dominic College of Asia (SDCA) is again revolutionizing education as it receives a recommendation from TÜV Nord for issuance of the ISO 9001:2015 certificate after a two-day site visit held on October 20-21, 2022.

Last October 5, 2022, TÜV Nord visited SDCA with its representative, Maria Luisa Sitchon, for the Level 1 visit, where initial documents, preliminary interviews, and a site tour were conducted.

TÜV NORD Philippines, Inc. is a member of German TÜV NORD GROUP – one of the world's largest inspection, certification, and testing organizations. They audit the quality systems of different organizations and issue ISO 9001:2015 certifications to qualified institutions.

During the Level 2 visit, TÜV Nord representatives Engr. Maria Luisa Sitchon (Audit Team Leader), Ms. Kristabelle Aguilar, Engr. Jocelyn Magat, and Ms. Amelia Lilibeth Cruz (Technical Expert), reviewed pertinent documents, interviewed various academic heads, administrative heads, and quality management representatives, and visited different laboratories and facilities to ensure that the following objectives were met:

• • Determination of the conformity of the management system of the organization.
• • Determination of the ability of the management system to ensure the organization meets applicable statutory, regulatory, and contractual requirements;
• • Determination of the effectiveness of the management system to ensure the organization can reasonably expect to achieve its specified objectives;
• • Identification of areas for potential improvement of the management system.

After a thorough assessment and review, TUV Nord announced its recommendation to SDCA for the ISO 9001:2015 certification with no minor and major non-conformity during the closing meeting on October 21 at the Accreditation Room.

The ISO certificate that SDCA will receive demonstrates SDCA's commitment to service quality and student satisfaction as it ensures the implementation of its policies and continuous improvement of its quality management system in pursuit of quality education.

St. Dominic College of Asia’s students and employees participated in the Q3 National Earthquake Drill last September 8, 2022.

The Dominican community, from basic education, higher education, staff, and administrators, together with St. Dominic Medical Center, participated in the quarter 3 National Earthquake Drill in cooperation with Bacoor Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Office (BDRRMO), Wilderness Search and Rescue (Cavite Chapter), and Baranggay personnel of Talaba IV.

The Dominican community was taught disaster preparedness during earthquake, as well as what to do before, during, and after it occurs. The drill took place at the SDCA grounds and along Bacoor Boulevard sidewalk. The participants were grouped accordingly following the health protocols such as physical distancing, wearing of facemasks and minimize talking to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

After the drill, a meeting took place to evaluate the activity held at the HEd AVR facilitated by BDRRMO Prof. Jonathan Velustria Sta Ana, DASS Director.

With the help from all of the participants of St. Dominic College of Asia, the Local Government Unit, and Wilderness Search and Rescue, the 3rd quarter national earthquake drill was successful.

Written by Charl Fuentes