NEGROS OCCIDENTAL (PIA) –- For the third time, the Schools Division of Negros Occidental has been given the ISO certification since 2019 when it received the ISO 9001:2015.

This 2021, the division passed the surveillance audit conducted by United Registrar of Systems (URS) Philippines Certification Services on July 6, 2021, via an online platform.

During the whole day examination of all processes of the three major offices in the Division – Office of the Schools Division Superintendent (OSDS), Curriculum Implementation Division (CID), and Schools Governance and Operations Division (SGOD), the Audit Team reported that DepEd Negros Occidental has established, adequately implemented, and maintained a Quality Management System (QMS) that meets the standards of ISO 9001:2015 and qualified for continued certification.

Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) Marsette D. Sabbaluca, CESO VI, said that the ISO certification is a testament to the commitment, dedication, and hard work of all Division personnel to render quality service to the public, especially to the learners and the school personnel.

“We are not a perfect organization, and we do not have a perfect system, but we assure our public that we are continuously improving our way of doing things so that we can deliver to them a new brand of public service marked with quality and integrity,” Sabbaluca said.

She said they accepted the challenge of the surveillance audit again despite the difficulties encountered during preparations worsened by the limitations due to the COVID-19 situation

“We wanted to measure our services against international standards and identify areas and opportunities for improvement,” she added.

According to DepEd Negros Occidental Information Officer Ian Arnold Arnaez, the division is scheduled for a re-certification audit on June 2022. (LTP/EAD-PIA6 Negros Occidental)