BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO
BATAC CITY (August 11)—Ilocos Norte-based Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) has started a collaborative discussion with the British Council (BC), Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) and four more state universities and colleges (SUCs) to work out plans for new transnational education (TNE) programs and create more opportunities for inclusive international learning and training.
John Vincent Toribio, MMSU Information Services chief, noted that in line with the United Kingdom (UK)-Philippines Transnational Education Partnership, the learning session is an avenue for faculty and staff to strategize the development of educational programs through healthy discussions and knowledge and resources sharing.
With this, MMSU International Linkages and Partnerships (ILP) office said the university will soon set up to create a doctorate program in information technology as its commitment to advance TNE in this part of the country.
Dr. Mee Jay Domingo, MMSU-ILP director, noted that their commitment to cooperate in the program by deploying their human and knowledge capital will not only benefit their faculty and students but will also enhance the transnational cooperation between the Philippines and the UK.
Domingo also noted that the MMSU, Batangas State University, Central Mindanao University, Philippine Normal University-Manila and the University of the Philippines-Manila are grantee-participants of the UK-PH partnership in the development of five new TNE programs.
During the learning sessions held recently at the MMSU Center for Flexible Learning, Toribio said BC, CHEd and SUC representatives have prepared for other knowledge-sharing sessions, project timeline, calendar of activities; tackling risks, issues, challenges and resolutions; and setting expected project milestones.
He said the activity was an offshoot of the grant the five SUCs received from BC and CHEd under the Access and Competitiveness through Internationalization of Higher Education or ACT-IHE project.
This project aims to develop and deliver new Philippine TNE programs in partnership with UK universities toward improving the global competitiveness of the Philippine higher education sector, Toribio added.
In the project, three representatives each from the five SUCs are also set to be trained to become TNE leads in the country which in turn will also 100 other staff members.
Dr. Shirley Agrupis, MMSU president, said the project will surely advance their internationalization efforts which will re-position the university once more on the global map of innovation and excellence.
During the activity, the sessions included the presentation of Anna Floresca Firmalino, UP Los Baños director for internationalization on the fundamentals of TNE and their learnings on the pilot project at UPLB.
Also present in the activity were BC Country Director Lotus Postrado, Education Manager Pierre Pecson, Funds Manager Danieson Gonzalvo, and Program Officer Kris Anne Cortez, and resource person Kevin Van-Cauter.
Meanwhile, CHEd Chairman J. Prospero De Vera 3rd also expressed his support to all participants and organizers. With De Vera during the activity were officials including Lloyd Edgar Reyes, Brian Jay Ramos and Liane Lamat.