COMMISSION on Higher Education Chairman Prospero de Vera III praised the College of Dentistry of the Universidad de Zamboanga for what it did to its retrofitted classrooms, calling it the “new benchmark” for Higher Education Institutions.

De Vera III, along with other officials, inspected the university to gauge its readiness to conduct limited face-to-face classes.

The officials inspected the different laboratories — spanning five floors — of the School of Dentistry.

“The process for pushing for the gradual reopening of colleges and universities has been challenging. My visit to Universidad de Zamboanga is one of the highlights of my trip in the city. I think I have found the new benchmark that can be used by all Higher Education Institutions on how they can safely reopen. I am very impressed with what they’ve done,” De Vera said.

He commended the large, easy to understand and numerous signages which were strategically placed all over the campus that remind students to follow health protocols. Automated alcohol dispensers were also carefully positioned outside every room to train students to frequently disinfect. Perfectly sized foot traffic markers were also visible.

However, the officials were more impressed with the use of right-sized High Efficiency Particulate Air filters in enclosed spaces for proper air circulation, glass barrier shields installed on shared workstations to help minimize the spread of transmissible body fluids and a fully mechanized medically equipped quarantine/isolation area for suspected patients while awaiting transport to a health facility.

“UZ also maximized the use of technology in teaching by utilizing simulators complete with an intraoral camera to aid students in keeping with teacher’s instructions,” De Vera said.

He added that the university surpassed the minimum requirements on health protocols.

UZ has taken the lead among institutions in Region-IX in retrofitting its facilities.

It was conferred with the Safety Seal Certification by Zamboanga City Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar.

“We are faced with an immense challenge to overcome this pandemic with the volatile resurgence of cases and evolving variants coupled with impositions of quarantine restrictions. Navigating our way through these uncertainties, the survival of any organization now depends on how well we adapt to technology, how effectively we can shift our paradigm, and how innovative we are in pursuing new ideas,” said UZ Executive Vice President Abram Eustaquio.