CHED eyes academic collaboration with universities in Turkey

CHED Chairman Dr. Prospero De Vera delivers his speech at the forum, The Search for the Next University of the Philippines (UP) President, at the Cine Adarna, UPFI Film Center in UP DIliman Quezon CIty on November 11, 2022. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

MANILA - The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is interested to pursue an “academic collaboration” with the universities in Turkey.

In his opening statement before the 9th Annual Eurasia Higher Education Summit-EURIE 2024 in Istanbul, Turkey, CHED Chairman Prospero De Vera said, the Philippines welcomes opportunities that will link Philippine and Turkish universities together as this is in line with the instruction of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to “continuously improve our HEIs in agriculture, medicine and health allied sciences and science and technology”.

“Participation in activities organized during and on the margins of EURIE forums will yield new insights in learning in the international environment which is considered necessary for Philippine higher education institutions to continuously adapt to the emergence of borderless education in a globally competitive environment,” De Vera said. 

“CHED and the Philippine higher education institutions' presence here today is the manifestation of our deep interest in further strengthening our close bilateral relationship with Turkey in promoting the internationalization of higher education institutions (HEIs),” he added. 

Being among the “leading Muslim countries in the world”, De Vera highlighted how the Turkey government played a key role in the peace process in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). 

“It is only fitting that the Philippines and Turkey move on to sustain bilateral partnerships covering areas of mutual interest to both countries,” he said. 

“Collaboration between institutions coming from different countries of different cultures cannot be overemphasized as the value of the materialized cooperative programs outweighs the time invested to come up with a mutually beneficial agreement,” he added.