Chinese schools interested to engage in MOU with RP

Chinese educational institutions expressed their interest to engage in memoranda of agreement (MOU) with the Philippines to facilitate the recruitment of Chinese students to the country, the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) reported following the Philippine participation at the China Education Expo (CEE) recently.

MOU are legal documents describing the bilateral agreement between China and Philippines regarding the student-contracting program. Through this mutual recognition, Philippines will partner with local Chinese universities, agents, and overseas advising centers to recruit legitimate students who wish to study in the country.

According to Dean Enrico Hilario of the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP), their participation in CEE was a big success since their school was able to create MOU with several institutions like Yantai Vocational College and China Cultural Affairs. The former agreed to send around 20 Chinese nationals to the state university to study bachelor degree courses like information technology and mechanical engineering, while the latter signed a memorandum stating that they will send an instructor to teach Chinese language to the TUP faculty for free.

Other participants that joined the Philippine delegation in CEE were Enderun Colleges Inc., New England College, and the Royal Institute of Higher Education Inc. (RIHED).

“Although much work is still required for MOUs to generate business for the Philippine schools, the results could increase the market profile of our country and thus, bring long-term existence in the vast China market,” said Trade Assistant Secretary Fe Agoncillo-Reyes, executive director of CITEM.

The huge education market in China, which is approximately US$72 billion (or RMB580 billion), is the result of several factors such as its favorable demographic trends, rapid economic growth, and the increasing importance of higher education and English proficiency for career development and advancement.

The growing trend toward urbanization is expected to make Chinese citizens recognize that higher education leads to greater rewards in terms of income and job opportunities. As stated in China Demographics Yearbook, China has eight cities each with a population of four million, 50 cities each with over one million inhabitants, and 131 cities with more than 500, 000 people.

Furthermore, as the US$ 2.2 trillion China economy continues to follow the globalization trend, Chinese education authorities place greater emphasis on international education exchanges, including permitting large numbers of young Chinese to study abroad at their own expense or thru the government.

“There is a substantial demand for overseas education in China,” Agoncillo-Reyes added. “Other countries have increasingly recognized the opportunities in the market, even non-English speaking nations are actively promoting in China, so the Philippines with its acknowledged edge in English should not be left behind.”

CEE, the largest and most prestigious education fair in China, is officially sponsored by China’s Ministry of Education and is organized by the China Education Association for International Exchange. This year, 450 overseas schools, training centers, professional associations, and other education service providers from 30 nations all over the world participated in the said event.

The Philippine participation in the CEE is organized by CITEM, the export promotions agency of the Department of Trade and Industry.