Zamboanga del Sur Polytechnic State College (ZDSPSC) is a public, state funded higher education institution located in Barangay Kawit, Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines. Originally founded as a secondary and post secondary vocational training facility known as the Zamboanga del Sur School of Arts and Trades, the institution underwent a statutory conversion into a formal state college in September 7, 2025 following the enactment of Republic Act No. 12282. The institution operates under a legal mandate to deliver advanced instruction, higher technological and professional education, and training programs across multiple disciplines, including engineering, education, agriculture, arts and sciences, and vocational technology. As a chartered polytechnic state college, the institution functions within the higher education sector of the Zamboanga Peninsula, focusing on technical skills development, academic research, and extension services.
History Pagadian Arts and Trades School The legal foundation of the school was initially established by Republic Act No. 6277, a statute that was enacted without executive approval on June 19, 1971. This legislation formally created a school of arts and trades in the City of Pagadian under the direct administrative supervision of the Director of Vocational Education. The early curricular structure mandated by Republic Act No. 6277 operated on a strictly phased schedule. During the first and second years of operation, the institution was required to enroll students in a general education curriculum integrated with practical arts instruction. In the third and fourth years, students were scheduled to transition into a dedicated vocational education curriculum. The establishing law also directed the school to provide short vocational courses specifically targeted at elementary school graduates, designed to train individuals for vocations identified as necessary within the local community. Furthermore, Republic Act No. 6277 contained a provision directing the school to open two year post secondary technical courses as soon as operational conditions made it feasible. To support the establishment, operation, and maintenance of the school during the fiscal year 1971, the legislature authorized an initial appropriation of 200,000 pesos from the National Treasury.
Zamboanga del Sur School of Arts and Trades Despite the passage of Republic Act No. 6277, the institution required a second foundational legislative process a decade later to fully operationalize its mandate. On February 8, 1982, the Batasang Pambansa, the parliamentary legislature of the Philippines at the time, passed Batas Pambansa Blg. 159. This subsequent legislation re established the Zamboanga del Sur School of Arts and Trades in the City of Pagadian. Batas Pambansa Blg. 159 granted the Minister of Education and Culture the authority to determine the specific curricular offerings of the school. The statute directed the Minister to implement the provisions of the act to ensure the school commenced operations during the first school term following the approval of the legislation. For this phase of institutional development, an appropriation of 300,000 pesos was authorized for the school's operation, explicitly charged to the funds allocated under Batas Pambansa Blg. 80 for the Ministry of Education and Culture intended for new national schools. The law stated that starting in the calendar year 1983, the necessary sums for the continued operation and maintenance of the school would be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
Following the 1982 legislation, the Zamboanga del Sur School of Arts and Trades functioned for approximately four decades as a public school of arts and trades. Operating on an approximately five hectare land area in Barangay Kawit, Pagadian City, the school provided secondary education, technical vocational training, and post secondary certificate programs. The primary operational objective during this period was to equip the youth of Pagadian City and surrounding municipalities with practical trade skills to facilitate immediate entry into the local workforce.
Conversion to a state polytechnic college The transition of the institution from a school of arts and trades under the Department of Education to a chartered state college under the Commission on Higher Education required a dedicated legislative process during the 19th Congress. Representative Divina Grace Yu of the 1st District of Zamboanga del Sur initiated the conversion process by introducing House Bill No. 1264 which was substituted as House Bill No. 9332
The legislative rationale presented for the conversion centered on the need to widen the institution's curriculum and address the requirements of an expanding student population in Zamboanga del Sur. Representative Yu articulated that establishing a polytechnic state college in Pagadian City would create a specialized educational facility capable of developing and strengthening the provincial industrial base. The proposal aimed to elevate the administrative status of the institution, thereby enabling it to offer full baccalaureate degrees and receive direct national funding allocations as a State University and College entity.
The conversion measure received unanimous support from the members present during the session in the House of Representatives. Following its passage in the lower chamber, the bill was transmitted to the Senate. In the upper chamber, the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education, chaired by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, took jurisdiction over the measure. The committee processed the conversion of the Zamboanga del Sur School of Arts and Trades alongside a broader legislative package designed to increase the institutional capacity of various higher education facilities in provincial localities. The Senate approved the conversion measure on its third and final reading with unanimous support from the voting senators.
Following the approval by both chambers of the legislature, the enrolled bill was transmitted to the executive branch. The measure officially lapsed into law as Republic Act No. 12282 on September 7, 2025.
Statutory mandate (State college charter) Republic Act No. 12282 serves as the primary legal instrument governing the institution. Section 3 of the charter enumerates specific fields of study that the college is mandated to cover, including engineering, education, arts and sciences, trades and the arts, as well as vocational and technology courses. The legal mandate extends beyond instructional delivery to impose requirements for research and community engagement. The charter dictates that the institution shall promote research, conduct extension and income generating services, and participate in production activities. Furthermore, the legislation requires the college to provide progressive leadership in its designated areas of specialization, requiring the institution to actively contribute to the development of industrial and educational practices within the Zamboanga Peninsula region.
Section 4 of Republic Act No. 12282 legally authorized the college to offer short term technical vocational, undergraduate, and graduate courses. The fields of engineering, education, agriculture, arts and sciences, and trade and the arts. It also explicitly mandates the provision of specific vocational and technology courses, listing welding technology, vocational technology, fishery technology, and hotel and restaurant services as required offerings.
A distinct structural provision within Section 4 allows the Zamboanga del Sur Polytechnic State College to continue the operation of a reasonably sized laboratory junior and senior high school. The statute places this laboratory school under the direct administrative supervision of the College of Education. The stated legal purpose of retaining the secondary education component is to serve the in campus requirements of its students, specifically providing a controlled pedagogical environment for undergraduate students pursuing degrees in education.
The charter also grants the institution the administrative authority to expand its physical footprint and organizational structure. The college is empowered to absorb non chartered tertiary institutions located within the Province of Zamboanga del Sur and the broader Zamboanga Peninsula. It also stipulates that these absorbed entities may operate as branches, extension centers, or external centers. However, the exercise of this expansionary power is subject to procedural requirements; the absorption must be conducted in coordination with the Commission on Higher Education and in consultation with the Department of Budget and Management, ensuring that any expansion aligns with national educational strategies and budgetary constraints.
Governance structure Section 5 of Republic Act No. 12282 establishes the fundamental administrative framework of the institution annd vests the administration of the college and the exercise of these corporate powers exclusively in a board of trustees and the president of the college. The board of trustees serves as the highest governing body of the institution. It is chaired by the chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education. The president of the Zamboanga del Sur Polytechnic State College holds the position of vice chairperson of the board. Legislative oversight is directly integrated into the governance structure through the inclusion of two ex officio members from the Congress of the Philippines. The chairperson of the Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education of the Senate and the Chairperson of the Committee on Higher and Technical Education of the House of Representatives both hold permanent seats on the board. The statute requires the participation of regional directors from three specific executive departments, linking the college's strategic direction to broader regional development metrics. The board includes the regional director of the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DepDev), ensuring alignment with macroeconomic and regional planning. The Regional Director of the Department of Agriculture is included, reflecting the mandate to offer agricultural courses and supporting the agrarian base of the regional economy. Additionally, the Regional Director of the Department of Science and Technology is a member of the board, providing oversight regarding the institution's engineering programs, technological research, and innovation initiatives. Internal stakeholders are represented on the board through the inclusion of the presidents of various institutional federations. The board mandates seats for the president of the federation of faculty associations, the president of the federation of student councils, and the president of the federation of alumni associations. Furthermore, a representative of the nonteaching or personnel association of the college is included in the board composition. The charter specifies that the terms of office for these internal representatives are coterminous with their respective terms of office as presidents or representatives of their organizations, as dictated by their respective internal constitutions.