ATESEA Accreditation Exercise in the Philippines, July 2019

Mabuhay!  At the start of the new semester, Rev Dr Andrew Peh was involved in the ATESEA’s (Association of Theological Education in South East Asia) accreditation exercise for member theological schools in Philippines.  In Manilla, he was joined by representatives from other member colleges of ATESEA, all of whom were assigned to accreditation teams that visited different theological schools across Philippines.

Together with Dr Gloria Mapangdol (President of St Andrew’s Theological Seminary, Philippines) and Mr Haleluya Hutarabat (Librarian of Duta Wacana Christian University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia), Dr Peh’s team visited Silliman University Divinity School in Dumaguete (July 7-9) and the Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries (ASCM) in Makati, Manila (July 10-13).

Most of the time spent at the above institutions included interviews with the Presidents, Vice Presidents, Deans, Faculty and members of the various Board of Trustees.  There were also opportunities to meet with these institutions’ alumni and current students (both undergraduates and postgraduates) from different academic programmes. The team was also given campus tours which included the university and seminary libraries, the dormitories, as well as the opportunity to observe the dynamics in different classes. In Manila, the Dean, together with the President of ASCM drove us south of Manila on a visit to their new campus.

As this is the first time he is involved in an ATESEA accreditation exercise, Dr Andrew Peh is grateful for the opportunity to contribute towards the growth of other theological colleges through ensuring the high standards of theological education that accreditation with ATESEA involves.