British Council Holds UK Partnership Forum

Education UK Exhibit 2011

With the aim of exploring potential partnerships and linkages with institutions in the United Kingdom (UK), the British Council brought together colleges and universities from the UK and local higher education institutions in a UK Partnership Forum last March 5, 2011 in Manila.

The British Council is the UK’s international organization for educational opportunities and cultural relations in the Philippines. It is responsible for building engagement and trust for the UK through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people worldwide. (www.britishcouncil.org)

TRANSNATIONAL EDUCATION (TNE)

How does one obtain overseas qualifications without going overseas?
The answer is transnational education.

In the Forum, transnational education was used to refer to all types of education study programs or sets of courses of study or educational services in which learners are located in a country different from the one where the awarding institution is found. (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 1997)

BENEFITS OF PARTNERING WITH UK INSTITUTIONS

Guy Perring, the TNE East-Asia Regional manager highlighted the key global trends from the UK perspective. He said that the push to internationalize is the direct result of the reliance of governments in South-East Asia and the Gulf on the tertiary education sector to deliver on national priorities. This in turn has impacted the balance of payments coming from tuition fees and domestic consumption of overseas students. With over 150 million students studying in higher education and a steady 2% of students studying abroad, TNE is becoming an institutional priority and a significant part of internationalization strategies.

Now faced with a wider range of students, UK institutions have seen the viability of developing wider and deeper ranges of partnerships in the delivery of UK qualifications with educational hubs such as Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and now, the Philippines.

UK-PHILIPPINES PARTNERSHIP 101

Dr. John Beamish of the University of Hertfordshire in the UK spoke of their successful 10 year relationship with Malaysia. He attributes the flourishing of this partnership to:

1. Choosing the right partner. This includes compatibility in terms of mission, vision and values.

2. Choosing the right type of program model. There are many approaches to overseas delivery including distance learning, in-country delivery, twinning, collaborative programs, e-learning and franchising to name a few.

3. Ensuring an equitable financial model. This looks into the aspects of profit sharing, payment currency and trends in the exchange rates.

4. A nurtured partnership. This accounts for a partner’s compliance with UK standards and the institute’s assurance that issues are dealt with quickly and efficiently.

FUNDAMENTAL TNE POLICY ELEMENTS: CHED PERSPECTIVE

Mr. Benito L. Teehankee, the Chair of the Technical Panel for Transnational Education of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), presented CHED Memorandum Orders relevant to TNE for quality assurance:

CHED MO No. 1, s. 2000 International Linkages and Training Programs
CHED MO No. 27, s 2008 Distance Education
CHED MO No, s. 2008 Transnational Education

Mr. Teehankee also discussed the anticipated TNE arrangements:

1. Distance Education

Mode 1 A program is jointly offered by a Foreign Higher Education Partner (FHEP) and the Philippine Higher Education Institution (PHEI)
Mode 2 A program is offered singly by an FHEP.
Mode 3 A program is offered by a PHEI under a licensed agreement with an FHEP

2. Face-to-face or Conventional Mode of Education
3. Blended Learning

The Forum ended on a positive note with both sides optimistic about bringing about a “partnership of equals” unified under a single goal, that of bringing highly competitive individuals into the global market.

The Dean of the Graduate School of Education Dr. Elizabeth R. Pascual, together with Mrs. Rizalyn L. Esquivel, the Director for Research and Extension and Mrs. Debora B. Sampaga of the AC-Global Outsourcing Center attended the Forum.