Studying in the Philippines cost-effective for RI students
Studying in the Philippines cost-effective for RI students
The economic crisis in the region has forced parents to
consider thinking of more cost-effective options other than
sending their children to expensive schools in Europe, Australia
or the United States.
Because of this, Philippine colleges and universities are
becoming more and more attractive to foreigners who want good but
affordable education overseas.
According to Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia Eusebio A.
Abaquin, the Philippines can indirectly assist crisis-hit
countries by opening up its educational services and giving
parents who want their children to study overseas a more
attractive option, given the restrictive cost of education in
other countries.
"We have to consider better options because of the present
unfavorable economic climate, which has dislocated many students
studying abroad," Abaquin said.
"Besides, our universities have produced top managers,
doctors, engineers and accountants who have distinguished
themselves in top corporations and institutions worldwide," he
added.
Since the 1950s, schools in the Philippines have attracted
thousands of foreign students, especially from Asia, who wanted
to take advantage of its modern educational facilities and
teaching methods.
The Philippines is a multiethnic, multicultural melting pot of
Western, Eastern and indigenous cultural influences and is best
remembered by visitors for the hospitality of its people. The
country has a modern education system, which uses English as one
of two primary mediums of instruction (the other being Pilipino,
the national language) in teaching most university courses.
The Philippines has more than 1,000 universities and technical
schools strategically located in different growth centers of the
country. More than 200 of them accept foreign students at the
graduate and undergraduate levels.
The Philippines also has one of the top management schools in
Asia, the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), which has trained
top executives from Asia, Europe and the United States.
Asiaweek magazine, in its 1998 survey of the top-50
universities in Asia, has recognized a number of Philippine
schools which have consistently provided exceptional educational
services in the English language. Among them are the University
of the Philippines, Ateneo De Manila University, De La Salle
University and the University of Santo Tomas.
The University of the Philippines is the training ground for
Philippine presidents, government functionaries, Supreme Court
justices and intellectuals. It is famous not only for its solid
academic program for the social sciences, medicine, engineering
and accounting but also for the free and progressive atmosphere
of its campuses.
In the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, a large number of foreign
students from Japan, South Korea and Thailand flocked to the
Philippines to take advantage of the quality instruction at this
university.
Also in the top-50 list is the Jesuit-run Ateneo De Manila
University, has produced such renowned graduates as national hero
Dr. Jose P. Rizal and nationalist Claro M. Recto. Many Ateneo
graduates have established a strong presence in the top echelons
of multinational firms and top corporations in the Philippines
and in Southeast Asia.
The University of Santo Tomas, established in 1611 by the
Dominican Fathers, is the oldest university in the Philippines.
It is 25 years older than Harvard University, the oldest
university in the U.S. It is known for its college of medicine,
architecture and other disciplines.
De La Salle is recognized for its excellent business and
accounting courses.
The Philippine Embassy in Jakarta can provide information on
the schools that accept foreign students and the guidelines for
students who wish to avail themselves of education opportunities
in the Philippines.