The Commission on Higher Education- National Capital Region (CHED-NCR) Regional Quality Assessment Team (RQAT) visited Rizal Technological University (RTU) on June 17, 2026, to inspect and evaluate one of RTU’s unique programs: Bachelor of Science in Astronomy major in Meteorological Sciences.

University officials, led by Vice Presidents Dr. Salvacion Pachejo and Dr. Kristine Opulencia, welcomed the Technical Panel for Meteorology, composed of the panel chair Dr. Lemnuel Aragones, and its members: Dr. Virgilio Julius Manzano Jr. and Dr. Marcelino Villafuerte; along with Ms. Rowena Ann V Malalaman, Education Supervisor at CHED-NCR, and Ms. Clarizze Angelu Aquino, Project Technical Staff at CHED-OPSD.

Key leaders from the College of Arts and Sciences, including its dean, Dr. Jeremiah Pacer, and associate dean, Dr. Helen Asturias, along with Astronomy Department faculty members, were also present to support the BS Astronomy program’s bid to meet CHED standards.

Instr. Jason Kalaw, the Program Head for BS Astronomy, presented an overview of the program, including the selection criteria and process for student applicants. He also discussed specific program courses designed to prepare students to conduct their undergraduate theses.

Much of the discussion among the university officials and the RQAT revolved around the compliance of the BS Astronomy major in Meteorological Sciences with the national standards, as it is the only Astronomy specialization that lacks a Certificate of Program Compliance (COPC) from CHED. The RQAT noted RTU’s potential to offer a separate program focused solely on the Meteorology discipline, which could also help the university overcome the challenges it faces in securing a COPC for the program. It is their recommendation that the university adjust the program’s nomenclature and prepare a new Meteorology program offering.

The meeting and review of the BS Astronomy program were fruitful conversations between RTU and CHED representatives, during which they clarified the program’s challenges. The convergence of insights and ideas also sheds light on the course of action the university can take to launch a new era of scientific discipline within the academe.

With this renewed direction, RTU is set to create better academic opportunities for the Filipino youth through a strengthened specialization in meteorological sciences—a highly relevant discipline to the Philippines’ atmospheric tendencies.