Philippines to train Mongolia’s rural teachers on English proficiency

MANILA, Philippines — Rural teachers from Mongolia will be flying to the Philippines to receive training and instruction on improving their English language proficiency — one of several agreements made during the bilateral meeting of the two countries' top diplomats.

During his visit from August 5 to 6, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo met with Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene, Deputy Prime Minister Sainbuyan Amarsaikhan and Foreign Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh.

Manalo discussed with his Mongolian counterpart the strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries, as well as expanding cooperation in various fields, including education, culture and health.

Manalo's visit marks the first bilateral visit by the Philippines' top diplomat to Mongolia. It also forms part of the year-long commemorative activities marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries.

The Philippines and Mongolia will cooperate in training English language teachers for universities and secondary education schools in Mongolia's rural areas, according to the DFA and the state-run Mongolian National News Agency.

The two countries have also agreed to explore teacher exchange programs.

Manalo "responded positively to Mongolia’s requests for the Philippines to provide assistance in the area of public health, English language training, and regional development policies," a DFA news release said.

The Mongolian population has a generally low English language proficiency, with schools outside the capital of Ulaanbaatar facing a shortage of English teachers, according to a The Diplomat report. Unlike the Philippines, English is not among Mongolia's official languages.

The two countries have also agreed to draft legal documents in the future that would encourage more Filipino workers to seek employment in Mongolia's education, tourism and services sector, among others.

Officials from both countries also signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the DFA and the Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "which commits both sides to bilateral cooperation and coordination on bilateral and international issues of common concern," the DFA stated.

Shared sports interest

The two parties also signed a memorandum of understanding between the Philippine Sports Commission and the Mongolian Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Youth on sports cooperation.

Mongolia sought to expand cooperation with the Philippines' sport sector as the country has "achieved high success in sports competitions in the Southeast Asian region, particularly in basketball and boxing," as reported by the Mongolian National News Agency. 

Mongolia aims to develop cooperation in discovering and developing sports talents at a young age, the state news agency added.