29 April 2025

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Philippine Board of Investments, Clark Development Corporation and university presidents pushed for transnational education with Australian universities in the higher education mission in Sydney and Adelaide, Australia.

The Transnational Education (TNE) Opportunity Forum, organized by the Education Centre of Australia (ECA), provided a platform for key Philippine and Australian universities to explore potential collaborations and mutually beneficial partnerships that will enhance academic exchanges, research cooperation, and student mobility.

In his talk at the TNE Opportunity Forum, CHED Secretary Popoy De Vera underscored the growing higher education landscape in the Philippines offering significant opportunities for Australian universities to expand their footprint in Asia and identified the areas of interest and strength of the Philippines.

“Based on UNESCO statistics, the Philippines is second to Singapore in terms of tertiary education participation rate. We are actually performing better than most ASEAN countries in terms of the graduate rate from the first degree. This means that we have a young population who are upwardly mobile, proficient in English, and looking for educational opportunities in many areas and in various modes,” De Vera said.

“President Bongbong Marcos has instructed the Commission to facilitate the internationalization of Philippine HEIs and focus on our core strengths or degree programs that produce world class professionals who are recognized all over the world. This includes medicine and allied health, S&T, aviation, animation, game development, maritime, IT, and tourism management,” he added.

“It was an opportunity for Clark Development Corp to present their Town and Gown program for the development of the manpower needs of the investors and locators in the Free port Zone and in the Special Economic Zone. The Transnational Higher Education Program will complete the human development program for the industries,” CDC President and CEO Atty. Agnes VST Devanadera said.

“This is an opportunity for BOI to present the Philippines as an ideal location for investments and partnerships in the education sector. The country’s population and strategic location as well as the Filipinos’ English proficiency and relatively lower cost of living make the Philippines an attractive market for foreign HEIs,” BOI Executive Director Corieh Dichosa said.

The education mission in Australia also included presidents and heads of five Philippine HEIs, with strong academic programs in the priority areas, including Chancellor Michael L. Tee of University of the Philippines Manila (UP Manila), President Maria Teresita P. Medado of Asia Pacific College (APC), President Renato Carlos H. Ermita Jr. of National University (NU), President Erwin Cadorna of University of Northern Philippines (UNP), and President Jaime Manuel of Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU).

Through the ECA, TNE Opportunity Forum has also brought together leading Australian universities including Charles Sturt University, University of the Sunshine Coast, University of Technology Sydney, University of Canberra, Victoria University, University of New South Wales, Australian Catholic University, and University of Western Sydney to engage in TNE discussion and explore education partnerships with Philippine HEIs.

The education mission in Australia is an important step in the implementation of Republic Act No. 11448, also known as the Transnational Higher Education Act, that aims to provide Filipino students access to international education and ensure global competitiveness of Philippine higher education.

“This is a milestone in advancing the Philippines’ role in the global education sector, strengthening ties with Australia, and paving the way for future collaborations in higher education that will help both nations meet the evolving demands of the global workforce,” De Vera said.

(SIGNED)
J. PROSPERO DE VERA III
CHED Secretary