TO further foster an exchange of knowledge and academic expertise, the European Union (EU) and the Philippines continue to push for more open dialogue in education, with the staging anew of the two-day European Higher Education Fair (Ehef) late last week in Manila and Cebu, respectively.
This annual event not only highlighted their long-standing relationship, but also attracted the growing young local population to avail themselves of various learning opportunities from more mature regions of Europe, EU Ambassador Franz Jessen said during the kick-off ceremony at Fairmont Hotel in Makati on Thursday.
“Ehef will pave the way for Filipino students to experience these diversified and high-quality [academic] programs,” he noted. “Ehef is not just a gateway between students and universities, but a means to strengthen higher-education collaboration between the EU and the Philippines.”
A total of 41 topnotch universities from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom showcased their manifold academic programs and degrees for Filipino students wanting to continue their academic endeavors in the euro zone.
“I’m very happy with the very strong interest from member-states, because education is a good area for cooperation. It’s a good area where Europe has really a lot to offer to the Philippines,” the envoy said.
Such a tremendous hike in the number of Western school participants to the fair came with a favorable response from the domestic market. “We have noticed a really growing interest among Filipino students for study opportunities in Europe. Perhaps, we are changing our pivot from North America to Europe. So, this is a good sign,” Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) Chairman Patricia B. Licuanan said.
Local recruits are highly sought after to fill up the higher-education institutions (HEIs) abroad mainly due to their positive attitude and competency.
“The students coming from here are very driven. They are very ambitious and very hardworking. The language is not an issue [since] almost all Filipinos speak good English. So it’s quite easy [for them] to study in Europe,” Jessen told the BusinessMirror at a sideline interview.
From the programs they could take in Europe, he cited agriculture and engineering as among the courses fitted for them.
“I probably feel the manufacturing sector in the Philippines is not as developed as it could be so that would be one area also,” he said.
The sixth edition of Ehef had widened its scope to bring the various study opportunities to more Filipino students, with a networking meeting between European HEIs and their local counterparts at Cebu Normal University, Cebu City, on Friday.
It brought together 10 HEIs from the Czech Republic and France, along with their Visayan counterparts under one roof.
“We hope very much next year we can include Mindanao also [to the fair],” Jessen said.
This year’s Ehef theme, “Sustaining Innovation and Excellence”, resonates with the CHEd’s higher-education reform agenda as it strives to enhance the capacity or competencies of the graduates and faculty, as well as develop and foster excellence in HEIs.
Universities and colleges need to respond to both changing technology and rising globalization to equip and prepare the students for the economic development worldwide.
“As part of our internationalization initiatives, not only do we want to attract foreign students and faculty for collaboration and exchanges in the country, but also to send Filipino students and faculty abroad for them to be trained in the best universities in the EU and gain a fuller and richer perspective,” Licuanan said.
“In the course of the Ehef, I, therefore, encourage everyone to see how to reach existing or new partnership between the EU and the Philippines to enable higher education to fulfill its mission,” Jessen said.
Deep-rooted alliance
HISTORY showed the relationship between the EU and the Philippines started in the late 1970s, and formalized with cooperation agreements starting in the 1980s. The regional block is a major trade and investment partner of this island-nation, with two-way trade amounting to billions of pesos every year.
Also, European companies have established a significant presence in the Philippines over the years in such sectors as banking and service, among others.
Bilaterally, the Philippines has 43 education agreements with 32 countries worldwide, including the Czech Republic, Spain, Poland, Estonia, Greece, France and Hungary.
Some of the pacts signed with member-states of the EU are more specific, such as the Philippines and France Cooperation in the Area of Higher Education and Research, Philippines-Hungary Education Scientific Exchange Program, and Philippines and Spain Mutual Recognition of Studies.
“Currently, we are negotiating a protocol for cooperation with the Council of Higher Education in Turkey,” Licuanan said. “These agreements aim to promote cooperation and opportunities in higher education and professional training, including development of institutional linkages in relevant fields.”
The CHEd also supports a program of the EU called Erasmus+ Program, which brings together the Erasmus Mundus Mobility and Scholarship Program and six other initiatives that cover education, training, youth and sports.
It spans across 4,000 HEIs in 33 countries and over 2 billion participants worldwide. Over 2,000 Filipino students and faculty from leading universities have already benefited from this program since 2004.
“This year there will be 14 Philippine educational institutions from Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao that have been granted mobility and other educational opportunities under the Erasmus+ Program,” Jessen said, noting this is because of the EU belief HEIs contribute largely to national economic growth and development agenda.
“Through these partnerships, much of the actual cooperation is enhanced, mobility flows between and among students are strengthened, and capacity-building of teachers and staff is continuously developed,” he said.
Another significant development on higher learning in the euro zone, where the Philippines gains assistance, is the European Fund for Strategic Investments (Efsi) aimed at generating investments of at least €315 billion by 2018, of which €116 billion have been already raised. Launched in 2015, it focuses mainly on infrastructure, energy, research and education.
“We have about 50 students going to different member-states in Europe every year through that program. We see this as complementing the initiatives by each of the individual member-states, meaning, in total, the offers we have to the Philippine graduate students is actually very comprehensive,” the EU ambassador said.
All these initiatives, including the yearly Ehef, are expected to continue to generate opportunities, increase academic linkages, and build new friendships between the Philippines and the EU countries.
“So I urge our HEIs to explore more opportunities for greater cooperation and collaboration in order to better prepare for the challenges of the 21st century,” Licuanan said.
Ehef 2016 was organized by the EU Delegation to the Philippines, in cooperation with the CHEd, and the embassies and cultural institutes of the EU member-states.