The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said Monday it is set to fund more state-of-the-art hot and cold kitchen facilities in higher education institutions in support of tourism and hospitality management programs in the country.
This came after CHED, through its Institutional Development and Innovation Grant (IDIG), granted around PHP25 million for the procurement of kitchen sets in Laguna State Polytechnic University (LSPU).
“CHED has funded close to ten other similar facilities in state universities and colleges. It will fund another fifteen hot and cold kitchens in public and private universities this year,” CHED Chairperson J. Prospero de Vera III said in a statement on Monday.
For LSPU hot and cold kitchen laboratory, procured equipment include the industry-standard three-door glass chillers, planetary mixer, automatic coffee machine, culinary blender, food display refrigerator, charcoal tandoor oven and electric convection oven, among others.
LSPU College of Tourism and Hospitality Management Dean Charmine Rivera lauded the CHED for its support, as she recalled seeing students bringing their cooking stoves and plates back on her teaching days.
“Ako mismo ay natatakot buksan ang gas range kasi baka sumabog. Pangarap lang noon, ginagamit na namin ngayon (I fear opening the gas range because it might explode. This was just a dream back then, now we are using it),” she said.
Around 1,400 students taking up Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management (BSTM) and Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management (BSHM) in LSPU will benefit from the project.
De Vera, meanwhile, said such project aims to ensure skillful graduates, especially in the tourism industry.
“We are using the HEDF (Higher Education Development Fund) money to prioritize tourism-related projects as required under the Tourism Act of 2009 and in compliance with the instructions of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to ensure industry-ready graduates, particularly in key sectors such as tourism,” he said.
The Department of Tourism-Regional Office of Laguna also underscored the need to invest on upgraded equipment to ensure an industry-ready workforce from tourism graduates. (PNA)