IIT | Quality Education for a better Mindanao

Center for Local Governance Studies

Background and Rationale

In line with the project on "Strengthening the Decentralized Capability-Building Efforts Towards Sustained Local Development" (SDCB-SLD) by the United Nations Development Program-Development Academy of the Philippines (UNDP-DAP), the Province of Lanao del Norte (PGLDN), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology entered into a tripartite agreement of partnership to provide demand-driven training, education and development interventions to local government units (LGUs) in Lanao del Norte.

Under the tripartite agreement, which was signed in September 1997, MSU-IIT was designated as the anchor local training institution (LTI) for said interventions. To carry out its functions as a training institution for LGUs, the Center for Local Governance Studies (CLGS) was established with the belief that local officials and their functionaries' need to strengthen their managerial and technical competencies in order to respond to the demands and challenges of their increased powers, resources, and responsibilities under the Local Government Code of 1991.

The Center

The Center for Local Governance Studies is a socio-culturally responsive, self-reliant learning center focused on governance and grassroots democracy, with global linkages and serving primarily the people of Mindanao. It organizes and packages the expertise reposed in the academe and other sectors and bring them where they are needed by the LGUs.

Mission

The mission of the Center is to provide demand-driven training and development interventions to LGUs and assist national government agencies (NGAs) in implementing their programs at the local level.

Key Service Areas

In pursuing its mission, the Center provides the following courses and services:

1. Training
1. Project development
2. Local legislation
3. Consensus building and conflict management
4. Coastal resource management
5. Upland resource management
6. Solid waste management
7. Cooperative education and development
8. Computer applications
9. Human resource management
10. Functional literacy and survival English
11. Barangay justice
12. Human rights education
13. International humanitarian law education (law of armed conflict)
14. Voter literacy program
15. Gender sensitivity
16. Population education and family planning
17. Disaster management
18. Youth leadership development
2. Technical Services
1. Strategic planning
2. Preparation of project proposals and feasibility studies
3. Management systems installation
4. Information technology systems installation
5. Other technical services needed by LGUs
3. Research Services
1. Community profiling
2. Opinion and preference survey
3. Market development study
4. Feasibility studies
5. Project monitoring and evaluation
6. Needs assessment study
7. Other researches in support of capability building of LGUs

Manpower component

The consultants, researchers and trainers of the Center are drawn from the pool of experts from MSU-IIT, DILG, LGUs and NGAs. They will be on call and paid on per project or per hour basis. The compensation of trainers and researchers shall be governed by the policies of the DILG, MSU-IIT and CSC, whichever is higher.

As a policy, the Center shall retain 10% of the fees of its pool of consultants, researchers, and trainers for its operations.

Structure and Funding

The Center is headed by a coordinator designated for a term of one year without prejudice to renewal. The Coordinator is the Chief Executive Officer of the Center directly responsible to the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension.

The Coordinator shall be responsible in preparing the programs of the Center and in sourcing out funds for their implementation. He will also be responsible in the establishment of linkages for the Center.

All financial transactions of the Center shall be subject to the existing accounting and auditing rules and regulations of the Institute.