The Ten Oldest Higher Education Institutions in Batangas

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Why not just do an unqualified list of all schools in the province, you may be thinking of asking. There are just way too many which makes doing such a list impractical in a research sort of way. Hence, this list is limited to institutions of higher education.

Just to make sure that all who read this article are on the same page, a higher education institution in the context of this article is either a college or a university offering tertiary level programs recognised by the Commission on Higher Education or CHED. Majority of the institutions in this list began life as basic education (elementary to high school) institutions and grew naturally to one day offer higher education.

The list of schools offering higher education in Batangas was originally plucked from the CHED web site, and it was a simple matter of researching over the Internet to determine each school’s foundation date. It goes without saying that any school that does not have information over the Internet, official or otherwise, was not considered.

If I am being honest, any school that does not have a web site does not deserve consideration at all. It is 2016, after all; and there are countless do-it-yourself free services all over the Internet.

One school in the list, Balayan Colleges, is somewhat contentious. I have found its foundation date in a third party web site but have not been able to corroborate this. If its foundation year is invalid, then the Lipa City Colleges enter the oldest ten institutions list since its foundation year was 1947 and this is verifiable in the college’s official web site.

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1946 November Golden Gate Colleges, Batangas City

Image credit:  Golden Gate Colleges on Wordpress.

Golden Gate Colleges in Batangas City was founded in 1946, coincidentally the year of the Philippine Republic’s independence from American colonial rule. The school’s foundation owed a lot to the vision of Major Ricardo Bonilla and his wife Marcela, along with a Professor Fausto Catoy. The first class was held in November of the same year with just 17 students but enrolment started to grow rapidly in the ensuing years. (Golden Gate Colleges on Wordpress)

1946 April University of Batangas, Batangas City

Image credit:  OFW Guide and Info.

University of Batangas began life in April of 1946 as the Western Philippine Colleges. There were a mere 48 students when the school first opened its doors; and classes were held in a small rented house along Rizal Avenue in Batangas City. Education was the first college program offered. Basic education was also subsequently introduced. University status was attained in 1996 with Dr. Abelardo Perez as its first President. (University of Batangas official web site)

1940 Batangas Eastern Colleges, Municipality of San Juan

Image credit:  Eusebio Lopez, Miner Descent.

Batangas Eastern Colleges of San Juan began existence in 1940 as Bolbok High School but its name was soon changed to Batangas Eastern Academy. School operations ceased because of the outbreak of war but resumed soon after liberation. As the school grew over time, it began to offer, apart from basic education, also degree programs and TESDA certificate courses. (Balayan Eastern Colleges on Wix.com)

1935 Immaculate Conception College, Municipality of Balayan

Image credit:  ICC Balayan official web site.

The Immaculate Conception College of Balayan was founded in 1935 by Fr. Aniceto Cordero, with the approval of Lipa Bishop Alfredo Versoza. The Agustinian Recollect Sisters were invited to manage and operate the fledgling school. The diocese’s old convent was converted into the school’s first facility. College courses were not offered until 1942. (Immaculate Conception College official web site)

1926 Balayan Colleges, Municipality of Balayan

Image credit:  Google Street View.

The Philippine Online School Directory says that Balayan Colleges was founded in 1926 and used to be known as Balayan Institute. I could not find anything over the Internet to corroborate this. Neither could I reach the school by phone.

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