Students and faculty of the Visayas State University (VSU)-Tolosa Campus will soon utilize the two new state-of-the-art buildings funded by the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) through the Commission on Higher Education’s Office for Official Development Assistance (CHED-ODA).

The agreement to construct the two three-storey buildings worth US$4 million for VSU’s College of Fisheries in Tolosa, Leyte was reached in 2014, a year after Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) devastated the Eastern Visayas region.It is the first CHED-ODA initiated project with an international partner. “We were totally devastated as all our buildings have been greatly damaged. Hence we are very thankful to KOICA for their donations,” VSU’s College of Fisheries Dean Teresita Jocson said.

Aside from the funding, KOICA also provided all necessary equipment. These were directly shipped from Korea to the Philippines. Currently ninety-five percent complete, the Korean-designed infrastructure that will house modern classrooms, dormitories, and administration offices is set to be inaugurated in May 2018. VSU President Dr. Edgardo Tulin said that more than the rebuilding, the project marks strong mutual friendship between the two countries. “This friendship is something that not only us will remember, but also all the students who will pursue and finish their education in this university,” Dr. Tulin said. Aside from the new buildings, KOICA has donated 10 bookshelves, six units of portable two-way radio, four desktop computers, two units of generators, two projectors, one unit of binocular microscope, dining set, assorted books, and one bus, among others.

With the improvement of VSU’s College of Fisheries facilities, CHED Deputy Executive Director Napoleon Imperial envisioned the institution as a future Center of Development for Fisheries and has a potential to establish higher academic reputation in marine sciences in the immediate future. “The gifts of classroom, laboratories and equipment and faculty scholarship of the Korean government will go a long way in the overall quality assurance pursuit of the VSU’s Tolosa Campus,” DED Imperial said.

After the onslaught of Super Typhoon Yolanda, VSU-Tolosa Campus student population has risen to more than 2,000 for the current academic year and is expected to increase once the structures are ready. Once completed, it will be the first modern and advanced student accommodation facility to ease the burden of students from far-flung areas and broaden their access to quality education.