The British Council, in partnership with the South Manila Educational Consortium (SMEC), organised a series of workshop designed for university leaders. The Leadership for Internationalisation Programme, developed and delivered by Cardiff Metropolitan University on 2 to 8 December at Hotel Benilde, aimed to equip top-and mid-level leaders in higher education institutions with leadership and management capacity that will enable their institutions to function effectively internationally.

Attended by 120 leaders from 29 Philippine colleges and universities, the programme was delivered by Mr David Lock, Cardiff Met Consultant; Dr Colin Powell, Associate Dean for Internationalisation; Prof. Brian Morgan, Director of Creative Leadership and Enterprise Centre; and Mr AbouBakr Fathalla, International Engagement Manager.

Commentary by Pierre Pecson, Programme Officer for Student, Alumni, and Higher Education Partnerships

Philippine colleges and universities now face the challenges of operating in an increasingly international environment, especially following the ASEAN Economic Integration and the major K to 12 education reform which aims to make the Philippine education at par with the rest of the world. Students have become more mobile, international academic cooperation has intensified and the number of transnational education programmes has risen. In response to the changing landscape, more pressure has now been placed on Philippine institutions to embrace the strategy of going global, especially now that they are poised to compete with the major players in Southeast Asian region such as Malaysia and Singapore.

The programme comprised of three individual modules—one for presidents, another for vice-presidents and deans, and the last for programme directors and coordinators—making it the first of its kind in the Philippines.

Internationalisation is not new in the Philippines. As a matter of fact, transnational education programmes exist in the country. For the most part, however, beyond signed memoranda of agreement that do not necessarily translate to actual collaboration, activities are limited to faculty and student exchanges. Higher levels of engagement such as research partnerships and TNE programmes remain minimal. Out of the 2,000+ higher education institutions in the country, less than 0.01% of them engage in TNE programmes.

As a response to the status of internationalisation in the Philippines, the programme team from Cardiff Met delivered a programme that was useful for institutions with and without prior international engagements. Different topics were covered throughout the course: (1) introduction and scope of internationalisation, (2) processes and components of international partnerships, (3) Cardiff Met’s experience in internationalisation and TNE, (4) organisational leadership, and (5) strategic planning and implementation. Through case studies, panel and group discussions, SWOT analyses and action planning, the participants were able to identify key features of an international strategy that would fit the context of their institutions.

Taking into account the British Council’s education strategy and SMEC’s thrust to integrate international standards, the course sets the tone for the succeeding collaboration between the two organisations. Beyond the establishment of international partnerships between Philippine and UK institutions, the course sought to catalyse incremental changes within universities and colleges that would serve as a springboard towards building international networks. This includes revisiting institutional missions and development strategies, developing international strategies, changing organisational structure, and creating posts and offices that would handle such partnerships.

About South Manila Educational Consortium

The South Manila Educational Consortium (SMEC) is a group of 12 higher educational institutions in the southern portion of Manila. The purpose of the consortium is to collaborate actively to effect social transformation by promoting the cause of education and by making quality and relevant learning accessible to as many as possible. SMEC is on its 41st year of existence. Members include Adamson University, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, De La Salle University-Manila, Emilio Aguinaldo College, Lyceum of the Philippines University, Philippine Christian University, Philippine Normal University-Manila, Philippine Women’s University, Santa Isabel College Manila, St. Paul University-Manila, St. Scholastica’s College and University of the Philippines-Manila.