Gov’t urged to liberalize education sector

British Ambassador Asif Ahmad has urged the government to liberalize the country’s education system to enable foreign universities to set up full campuses in the Philippines.

This move would be essential to the development of human capital in the Philippines, consequently providing savings for both the private sector companies and the government as well, Ahmad said in an interview with the Inquirer on Friday.

“Rather than spend a lot of money sending people abroad, there is a high amount to be gained by having [these foreign universities] onshore,” the British envoy added.

Last week, eight companies from the United Kingdom held an education conference in the Philippines as they sought to explore potential opportunities and partnerships with local universities, training providers and human resource development practitioners. The UK delegation included Baker Thompson Associates, Brighton Education Group, Chartered Institute For Securities and Investment (CISI), Eagle Scientific Ltd., Epitome Academy Ltd., Investors In People (IIP), Kingdom Education and the University Of Reading.

“What we are trying to promote more strongly is the provision of international education in the Philippines, but that’s going to take a change in policy and the Constitution. At the moment, you (Philippines) are limited. For example, in Singapore, Malaysia and China, we have British universities with full campuses. But in the Philippines, [the government will] have to change the provision that apart from international schools, only Filipinos can be in the faculty,” Ahmad explained.

“We already talked to the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) and they understand the need. But this requires a huge amount of thinking,” Ahmad said, adding that what was currently allowed in the country were international schools, on the basis that majority of the students were foreign nationals.

The United Kingdom and the Philippines are seen as natural partners in education and skills, sharing a common language and compatible sectors.

The British Embassy in Manila noted that the United Kingdom has a lot to offer in raising the quality of education and training as it has been renowned globally for research, innovation and creativity. UK-based universities and colleges reportedly attract some of the world’s leading academics and industry professionals, while employers globally value UK education and training.