AS part of the continuing support to college faculty and nonteaching staff during the K to 12 Program transition, the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) and the Embassy of France formalized a partnership that will open up full scholarships for graduate studies in leading universities in France.
This cofunded scholarship program for academic year 2017-2018 will be offered through the PhilFrance Scholarships of the Embassy of France and under the CHEd’s K to 12 Transition Program.
The Ched-PhilFrance Scholarship Program’s thrust is to award scholarships to promising college faculty and nonteaching staff affected by the K to 12 implementation who have shown strong academic leadership and professional ability. The program package includes waivers for state-regulated tuition and visa fees, health-care coverage and priority for subsidized student housing. These will be shouldered by the French government. The CHEd will provide for the travel and living allowances of the awarded scholars.
CHEd Chairman Patricia B. Licuanan said this partnership comes at an opportune time for the country’s professors to pursue and accomplish their graduate education.
“With the K to 12 transition in full swing, faculty in higher-education institutions have less workload and more chances to upgrade their academic qualifications. I urge our college faculty and staff to enroll in graduate programs, which are being offered not only in local institutions but now in top universities in France, as well,” Licuanan said..
France is known to have a world-class higher-education system, with many of its universities included in the top 250 international rankings. Faculty and staff can apply to these institutions, which include the École Normale Supérieure (ENS), Hautes Etudes Commerciales de Paris (HEC), University Pierre and Marie Curie (UPMC)—Sorbonne University and Sciences Po, a mong others.
Ambassador of France to the Philippines Thierry Mathou said pursuing education in France will also contribute greatly in strengthening tourism and engineering programs in the Philippines, both of which are fields of excellence in the French economy. France institutions also offer programs in every academic discipline and specialization, with English as the medium of instruction, making it more accessible to English-speaking students.
“The CHEd and the Embassy of France to the Philippines have been working closely together for many years to enhance ties between the academic and scientific communities of our two countries. The Ched-PhilFrance Scholarship Program is the latest manifestation of these efforts, and will lead to the improvement of both Philippine and French research capacities,” Mathou said.
Licuanan said the Ched-PhilFrance Scholarship Program contributes to the commission’s goal of increasing the number of college faculty with graduate degrees from 50 percent in 2015 to 70 percent in 2021.
Interested Filipino college faculty and non-teaching staff are encouraged to start reviewing the programs offered listed in Campus France for Master’s degrees and Campus France for Doctoral Programs. Deadline for applications is on April 14, 2017, 4 p.m., but candidates are encouraged to apply early as applications will be processed on a rolling basis.