The Association for Theological Education in South East Asia (ATESEA) accrediting team finished their site visit to the AIIAS Theological Seminary on March 26, 2025, sharing their preliminary report at the culmination of their two-day campus visit.
“The ATESEA exit report was highly positive, with only a few areas identified for improvement,” said Dr. Teofilo Correa, chair of the AIIAS accreditation team. “Some areas received zero recommendations.”
ATESEA, with a membership of 102 seminary and theological institutions and schools in 16 countries, serves as the highly respected accrediting agency for seminaries in the Asian region. They set guidelines and standards for the improvement of theological education, and provide for networking among the schools.
The visit, which began on Sunday, March 24, included meetings with the local accreditation team, AIIAS administrators, representatives of the AIIAS board, department heads, program directors, students, and alumni. The accreditors also conducted class observations before concluding their assessment with an exit report presentation.
In an internal email, Dr. Correa expressed gratitude to the local accreditation team, faculty, and administrators who contributed to the accreditation process. “On behalf of the accreditation team, I sincerely thank our seminary faculty, as well as the institutional leaders who provided guidance throughout the past seven months.”
AIIAS Seminary Dean, Dr. Ricardo Gonzalez expressed similar sentiments, including special recognition of the seminary’s administrative assistant, Karole Mercado, who provided “unwavering support” for the team’s smooth visit onsite.
The ATESEA accreditation team included Ms. Christabel Wong, Head Librarian, Seminari Theoloji Malaysia (Malaysia); Dr. Ben Ngaayan, Faculty, St. Andrew’s Theological Seminary (Philippines); Dr. Saw Augurlion, Academic Dean, Myanmar Institute of Theology (Myanmar); and, Dr. Jozef Hehanussa, Associate Professor, Faculty of Theology, Duta Wacana Christian University (Indonesia)
The full accreditation report is expected to be released by ATESEA in the coming months.
