By Daniel P. Tapaoan, Jr. 

Upholding its stature as a Center of Excellence in Teacher Education, the Mariano Marcos State University has once again emerged as a top performing school in the March 2023 Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (LEPT), with one graduate as a topnotcher.

In the licensure exam for elementary level, MMSU ranked fifth with one hundred fifty-four (94.48%) graduates of the MMSU College of Teacher Education (CTE) passing the test.  The institutional pasing rate is way above the 40.76% national success rate. 

One of the passers, Ms. Jacqueline E. Salvacion, magna cum laude graduate of MMSU and a resident of Brgy. Ar-arusip in Badoc, Ilocos Norte, is the county's rank five topnotcher in the LEPT Elementary Level, with an average score of 91.40%. 

MMSU is also number nine top performing school in the LEPT Secondary Level. Two hundred eighty-seven passers from CTE produced an institutional rating of 88.04%, beating the 46.94% national average. 

In addition, 15 graduates of the Batac campus who took professional education courses passed the examination for secondary teachers, yielding a 51.62% institutional rating. 

These passers are among the 24,189 new elementary teachers and 48,005 new secondary teachers in the country. 

“Passing the exam is already enough and a great blessing for me, but God gave me more than I asked from Him. I dedicate this success to my family and to our beloved Alma Mater,” Salvacion expressed, who felt surprised and thankful for her stellar achievement. 

"This is indeed a golden harvest for MMSU," expressed University President Shirley C. Agrupis, who congratulated the new passers and their families. She also expressed gratitude to the faculty of the CTE under the leadership of its dean, Dr. Aris Reynold Cajigal, for producing competent graduates. 

In 2019, MMSU was number eight top performing school in the LEPT for the secondary level. The university also ranked ninth in the elementary level in 2018. – with report from Niña Christelle M. Sumintac, correspondent (HLY/JVBT, StratCom)