Mr Thomas Wiersing, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the European Union Delegation to the Philippines
(Screengrab of the virtual send-off 66 Pinoy Erasmus scholars by THEPHILBIZNEWS)
By THEPHILBIZNEWS STAFF
Excited Filipino students set to pursue their academic dreams in several countries of the European Union after they won scholarships under the EU’s Erasmus + Programme. The Erasmus+ Programme will allow them to pursue MA and Ph D programmes in different universities across the European Union.
The mobility and scholarship programme, Erasmus+, is structured to allow students to pursue their studies in more than one EU member state giving them the opportunity to benefit from the academic expertise and culture of more than one university.
Chargé d’Affaires of the EU Delegation to the Philippines Mr Thomas Wiersing said that the Philippines has repeatedly ranked as one of the countries having the highest number of scholars in the region.
This year’s send-off ceremonies were organised by the Delegation in collaboration with Campus Erasmus comprised of Erasmus+ scholars in the country. Campus Erasmus is comprised of Erasmus+ alumni from the Philippines.
Mr. Wiersing has congratulated the Erasmus+ students and urged them to become ambassadors of goodwill and agents of change to help strengthen the partnership between the EU and the Philippines. He also encouraged the Erasmus+ scholars to give back to their country after they finished their programme in the EU.
This programme gives life-changing opportunities for Filipino students to experience living the European culture, learning European languages and being integrated into European society for one to two years. The Erasmus + is among the leading international academic mobility programmes in the world, and students from the Philippines have benefited considerably from the programme. The Erasmus + (formerly called the Erasmus Mundus Programme) promotes the EU as a centre of excellence in learning and making student mobility a reality for EU and non-EU citizens alike.
Mr Wiersing has also cited the efforts of Erasmus alumni such as Kate Ramil who has initiated the Save-A-Trike Programme in Laguna; Dr Jenny Lind-Elmaco who has spearheaded a fundraising drive for front liners in the Visayan region; and other numerous alumni who have in their own way are helping local communities and front liners during this pandemic. He said that the initiatives of the alumni are aligned with the “Team Europe” approach of the European Union in combining resources to assist countries to cope with the pandemic.
During the send-off, Mr Wiersing also encouraged both alumni and new scholars to explore how to help strengthen partnerships between European and Philippine higher education institutions in the field of capacity-building under another Erasmus+ programme for institutions.
