FOR 2015 the Philippines will have the biggest delegation of students, among Association of Southeast Asian Nations member-countries, benefiting from the European Union’s (EU) Erasmus+ Programme.
This year 39 Filipino students have been granted scholarships to pursue their master’s and doctorate degrees in various European universities.
The scholarship and mobility program is structured to allow students to pursue their studies in more than one country, giving them the opportunity to benefit from the academic expertise and culture of more than one university.
The program gives life-changing opportunities for Filipino students to experience living the European culture, learning European language and getting integrated into the European society for at least one year.
The Erasmus + (formerly called the Erasmus Mundus Programme) promotes the EU as a center of excellence in learning and making student mobility a reality for EU and non-EU citizens alike.
Erasmus+ is the EU’s new program from 2014 to 2020 to support projects, partnerships, events and mobility in the areas of education, training, youth and sport.
It provides funding opportunities for cooperation in all these areas, both among European countries, and between these European countries and partner countries throughout the world.
EU Ambassador to the Philippines Guy Ledoux commended the outgoing Erasmus+ students for the impressive results, which he said, reflected the hard work of done by the Filipino students.
Ledoux said that since 2004 more than 200 students and lecturers benefited from the program. The scholarship covers air travel to Europe, tuition fees and a monthly living allowance of P138,000.
Erasmus Mundus alumni, led by Sheila Balbutin, current president of Erasmus Mundus Association, Southeast Asia Chapter, shared their experiences while studying in Europe. They encouraged the scholars to take advantage of their time in Europe and the benefits of borderless travel and study.
The Erasmus+ is among the leading international academic mobility programs in the world.