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| Mattias Lenz, Minister Counsellor of EU Delegation to the Philippines, gives his message at the start of the Networking Session at Cebu Normal University. Faceboook/Philippine Information Agency via Philstar |
MANILA, Philippines - The European Union (EU) has strengthened its position as an education destination in the country as the European Higher Education Fair 2016 gathered about 1,500 attendees; students who want a global perspective on various academic disciplines which EU member-state universities can offer.
In Cebu, EHEF was attended by more than 500 students for the information sessions and 70 university representatives from Visayas and Mindanao for the networking session.
“We believe that an EU education is a good preparation for the globalized market. By studying in the EU, students can get a wider perspective and can get exposed to new innovative ideas,” said European Union Ambassador Franz Jessen.
Meanwhile, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Commissioner Patricia Licuanan expressed the agency’s support for EU’s efforts in promoting the union as an alternative education destination for Filipinos. Currently, there is an increase in the number of Filipinos enrolling in European Union schools and learning institutions.
“The Philippines and the EU has had a longstanding relationship in terms of education since the 1980s. So far, we have 43 education agreements with the EU and we’re looking forward to establishing more,” stated Ms Licuanan.
EHEF has been successful in providing a platform for dialogues between Filipino education institutions and their European counterparts. A new development is the willingness of European universities to partner with Philippine institutions to form exchange programs facilitating Filipino students to study in Europe for a period of three months to one year, and likewise to support European students to come here, under the Erasmus program.
“We have to look at mobility not only in terms of having a wide range of universities all over the world to choose from but also being mobile while taking your degree. A term abroad with Erasmus does just that,” says Philippe Ruffio, Head of Sector, Erasmus+, DG Education, Audiovisual and Cultural Executive Agency of the European Commission.
Interested students were also able to learn more about studying in the EU by attending talks conducted by different European embassies or visiting the booths from different universities at the fair. One of the biggest concerns for students was finding a course in English. A surprise was that non-Anglophone countries also offered courses in the language. France, for example, offers over 1,000 programs in English while the Netherlands offers over 2,000 programmes.
“There’s a vast range of programs in different disciplines and different locations offered in English. We want education to remain accessible for all, resident or non-resident. The same goes for many EU countries,” says Jules Leconte, Attaché for Higher Education and Academic Exchange of the Embassy of France to the Philippines.
The embassies also clarified that studying in Europe is not as expensive as many students think. Grants are available through the Erasmus program or through different embassies or universities. In Belgium, for instance, special scholarships are offered to residents of developing countries such as the Philippines to enroll in the Institute of Development Policy and Management of the University of Antwerp.
“Europe and Belgium, in particular, are now encouraging foreign students in developing nations to take part in programs for development so they can get the wealth of knowledge that an education in the EU provides. Europe, in general, is very open to sharing ideas with nations such as ours,” states Ms Alellie Sobrevenas, an alumna of University of Antwerp.
EHEF was organised in collaboration with the Commission on Higher Education with support from philstar, Business Mirror and Crossover.
“We believe that an EU education is a good preparation for the globalized market. By studying in the EU, students can get a wider perspective and can get exposed to new innovative ideas,” said European Union Ambassador Franz Jessen.
Meanwhile, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Commissioner Patricia Licuanan expressed the agency’s support for EU’s efforts in promoting the union as an alternative education destination for Filipinos. Currently, there is an increase in the number of Filipinos enrolling in European Union schools and learning institutions.
EHEF has been successful in providing a platform for dialogues between Filipino education institutions and their European counterparts. A new development is the willingness of European universities to partner with Philippine institutions to form exchange programs facilitating Filipino students to study in Europe for a period of three months to one year, and likewise to support European students to come here, under the Erasmus program.
“We have to look at mobility not only in terms of having a wide range of universities all over the world to choose from but also being mobile while taking your degree. A term abroad with Erasmus does just that,” says Philippe Ruffio, Head of Sector, Erasmus+, DG Education, Audiovisual and Cultural Executive Agency of the European Commission.
Interested students were also able to learn more about studying in the EU by attending talks conducted by different European embassies or visiting the booths from different universities at the fair. One of the biggest concerns for students was finding a course in English. A surprise was that non-Anglophone countries also offered courses in the language. France, for example, offers over 1,000 programs in English while the Netherlands offers over 2,000 programmes.
“There’s a vast range of programs in different disciplines and different locations offered in English. We want education to remain accessible for all, resident or non-resident. The same goes for many EU countries,” says Jules Leconte, Attaché for Higher Education and Academic Exchange of the Embassy of France to the Philippines.
The embassies also clarified that studying in Europe is not as expensive as many students think. Grants are available through the Erasmus program or through different embassies or universities. In Belgium, for instance, special scholarships are offered to residents of developing countries such as the Philippines to enroll in the Institute of Development Policy and Management of the University of Antwerp.
“Europe and Belgium, in particular, are now encouraging foreign students in developing nations to take part in programs for development so they can get the wealth of knowledge that an education in the EU provides. Europe, in general, is very open to sharing ideas with nations such as ours,” states Ms Alellie Sobrevenas, an alumna of University of Antwerp.
EHEF was organised in collaboration with the Commission on Higher Education with support from philstar, Business Mirror and Crossover.
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