What started as an elementary school named East Negros Institute in 1947 is setting its sights higher as they celebrate their 77th year.
Renamed Diaz College in 1997, in honor of its founders Don Miguel and Doña Maria “Iyay” Diaz, the school has continued expanding its course offerings and enrolment, in its quest to give quality education to Negrenses, particularly the people of Tanjay City.
“Several graduates have an emotional attachment with our old name. We wanted to retain the East Negros brand when we turned into a College, but we were informed that there already is a school with a similar name, thus we had to rebrand,” recalled School Director Dr. Romulo Mirasol Jr.
He said Diaz College was granted a permit to offer BS Criminology by the Commission on Higher Education. “But we realized that we lacked classrooms for it, so we had to postpone the course offering,” Mirasol said.
One of the highlights of the College’s 77th anniversary was the inauguration Friday of a two-storey building to accommodate more students.
Students and faculty of Diaz College witnessed the inauguration and blessing by Msgr. Thaddeu Quinit of the building, and the ceremonial ribbon-cutting by school officials, led by President Rodrigo Diaz.
He was joined by Directors Miguelito Diaz, Angelo Teves, and guests Marison Teves-Gonzalez and Mayette Base-Diaz.
President Diaz, who took the reins 14 years ago, expanded the school population from 700 enrollees in 2011 to close to 4,000 students, and added buildings, vehicles and machines to ensure the upkeep of the eight-hectare campus.
For Diaz, a grandson of the school’s founders, running the school gives him pride in honoring his grandparents’ legacy, and giving back to the people of Negros Oriental.
“I am happy to say that under our President, the school is well managed, and this inspires us to continue exploring more course offerings in the future, such as Nursing and Engineering,” Mirasol said.
Diaz College is in the process of applying for accreditation from the Technical Education & Skills Development Authority to supplement their credentials for senior high school programs, particularly in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Information & Communication Technology (ICT).
Mirasol said the school takes pride in its alumni, some of whom have risen to national prominence during its 77-years of existence.
With the theme Meeting the Challenges of a Digital Community, Diaz College continues to look forward as it aims to become Tanjay City’s first university soon. (Alex Pal)
