HEIs seek stronger links with various industries

MANILA, Philippines - Private and public higher education institutions (HEIs) pushed for stronger linkages with various industries to boost job creation and improve research and development (R&D) in the country.

Around 500 presidents and heads of universities and colleges on Friday signed a manifesto calling for the creation of a National Industry-Academe Council to institutionalize partnerships between academe and industry for curriculum design and on-the-job trainings.

The school officials said the strong collaboration between the two sectors, particularly on practical training, would help in developing the workers needed by the industries.

The heads of HEIs urged the government to increase the budget for R&D to at least the Asian average of 1.6 percent of gross domestic product. The Philippines’ spending on R&D has been stuck at 0.15 percent for years.

The school heads also asked the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Department of Science and Technology, presidents of schools associations and the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) to sign a memorandum of agreement on research collaboration.

They said the government should scale up public-private partnerships for research to strengthen the research capabilities of HEIs.

The education officials also said they would work for the creation of the Philippine Higher Education Research Portal to allow information sharing among schools.

The Manila Declaration on Higher Education was presented during the first Philippine Higher Education Presidents’ Summit held in Taguig City yesterday. The event was organized by PBEd, in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development.

“The declaration is the product of close to one year’s worth of intense discussion among various HEI heads representing the whole gamut of the country’s higher education sector,” said Love Basillote, PBEd executive director.

The school presidents also expressed support for the full implementation of the K to 12 Law. They called on the government “to support transition initiatives such as the voucher system and the tertiary education transition fund.”