MANILA – The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has awarded over 1,000 leaders in higher education institutions (HEIs) with upskilling, reskilling, and scholarship opportunities to foster internationalization in Philippine universities.

This initiative supports President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s ongoing directive to raise the quality of education, ensuring that HEI graduates are globally competitive and employable.

In a Viber message on Thursday, CHED Chairperson J. Prospero de Vera III emphasized the importance of providing such opportunities to university leaders and translating them into tangible improvements in the quality of education for students.

“We at CHED make sure that our university officials get continuous upskilling programs, especially on leadership, to ensure the provision of quality and inclusive education,” de Vera said in a statement.

The recipients of these scholarships and upskilling opportunities include HEI leaders, faculty members, and university personnel from world-ranking universities in the Philippines. Specifically, 1,494 individuals received postgraduate scholarships, while 439 education leaders, faculty, and staff participated in various upskilling programs as of December 2024.

These programs include notable courses like the Leadership Essentials program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, the Advanced Short Course on Sustainable Dairy Production System at Massey University in New Zealand, and the Organizing Major Sports Events and Promoting Sports Tourism program at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Other courses offered include the Short Course on Halal Food Standard Compliance at Universitas Bakrie in Indonesia and the Training of Trainers on Instruction and Delivery and Twinning Program in Aeronautics at the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

Looking ahead, CHED aims to expand its scholarship programs, with a goal of increasing the number of scholars to 2,000 by 2025.

In line with its efforts to boost internationalization, CHED also reported that 87 Philippine HEIs secured spots in various global rankings between July 2023 and June 2024, significantly surpassing the 52 HEIs ranked in 2023 and 22 in 2022. The agency has also expanded “university-to-university” linkages with international institutions, facilitating joint degrees, double degrees, and twinning programs.

Furthermore, CHED is targeting a steady increase in the number of internationally ranked Philippine universities, aiming to reach 110 by 2025, 156 by 2026, 202 by 2027, and 220 by the end of President Marcos’ term.

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