By Monsi A. Serrano
Even as early as the 19th century, Filipino “ilustrados” studied in Europe and equipped themselves with the proper education to be able to institute political and economic reform to favor the natives under Spanish rule. However, back then, only the middle class and landed people had the opportunity to study in Europe to broaden their horizons.
Through the years, the European Union has proven its sincerity in supporting the Philippines. It is interesting to note that the EU is also the largest investment partner of the Philippines in its economic development, employing around 450,000 Filipinos.
The commitment of EU to strengthen regional cooperation and the internationalization of higher education has further opened doors to Filipinos wanting to study in Europe through the European Higher Education Fair (EHEF).
There are many Filipino students who benefited from this educational program of the EU and many of them graduated with flying colors and made their mark in their respective chosen fields of specialization through the Erasmus Mundus or Marie Curie scholarship programs.
Despite the pandemic, the EHEF continues its mission to provide excellence in education and creates a strong bond among countries that share the same aspirations of development and progress through higher learning and be able to pay it forward to their respective countries.
On October 2-3, 2020 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., Filipinos can learn more about the European Higher Education Fair and can pre-register now via www.ehefphilippines.com.
The EHEF features structured webinars on the following: The Jean Monnet Programme – Experiences from the Philippines; Building Entrepreneurial Ecosystems to Enhance Higher Education Value-Added for Better Graduate Employability; and Ph.D. and Postdoctoral opportunities in Europe with the Marie Curie Actions. Apart from these, the fair offers webinars to guide students on the best possible course offerings and to enable them to know more about the EU member states. Altogether, a total of 29 webinars are at stake in this year’s fair.
With the theme “Study in Europe: The Future is EUrs,” EHEF 2020 is staging the fair online to make it more accessible to Filipino students all over the country.
This year’s virtual fair will feature 92 participating universities and higher education institutions (HEIs) from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Slovak Republic, Spain and Sweden.
What makes this year’s EHEF more exciting are the live chats with HEI representatives, alumni, and scholars.
Virtual meeting rooms will also be set up for Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) and their EU counterparts for linkages and collaboration opportunities.
Blended and online learning will also be given special focus as most European HEIs are now offering post-graduate degrees through distance education programs.
For the first time, EHEF 2020 has collaborated with regional partner institutions Wesleyan University (Luzon), Silliman University (Visayas), and Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan (Mindanao) to co-host clustered presentations especially crafted for their respective regions.
EHEF 2020 is organized by the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines, together with EU Member States’ Embassies in partnership with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and supported by media partners Business Mirror – Envoys & Expats, Business World Spark Up, Gadgets Magazine, Roots & Wings Online, Sub Selfie, The Philippine Business and News, and When in Manila.
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