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.