MoU on higher education inked

(CHEd) chairman Chairperson Prospero De Vera III

Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) chairman Chairperson Prospero De Vera III on Thursday revealed that the Philippines and China signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in order to fast-track cooperation between the two countries in matters of higher education.

In a statement, De Vera said that he and China Foreign Minister Wang Yi signed the MoU during President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit to China – his fifth time in the country since assuming power in 2016.

According to the department, the understanding “signifies the mutual commitment of [China and the Philippines] to push for the internationalization of universities in both countries” and noted that in order to hasten the collaboration between the agency and its Chinese counterpart, the MoU will focus on the following — Mutual recognition of degrees to promote lifelong learning and the practices of profession in both countries; Increasing the number of universities recognized by both countries in their registry; Scholarships, training programs, and country visits for teachers and students; Information sharing on the structure of higher education, academic quality, performance standards, evaluation of results, methodology development, student affairs, and qualifications frameworks; Establishment of credit transfer arrangements; Strengthening cooperation in the study of languages and the establishment of additional Confucius Institutes in the Philippines and promotion of participation in educational congresses, conferences, workshops, symposiums, training courses and exhibits.

The CHEd chief noted that the agreement would “improve the quality of education available to our students.”

“This academic cooperation manifests our collaborative efforts to deepen and expand support and opportunities to develop future-ready graduates and contribute to innovation and technology for economic growth and national competitiveness for both countries,” said De Vera.

As a result of the MoU, CHED and its counterpart agency in China are set to establish this year a joint working group to develop projects between higher education institutions in both countries.