QAA collaborates with British Council and Philippines Commission on Higher Education for transnational quality assurance training

QAA has collaborated with the British Council and the Philippines Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to deliver a bespoke training programme designed to enhance understanding of quality assurance in transnational higher education (TNHE).

The two-day course, which was delivered to three cohorts, concluded on Friday 3 February and looked to offer insight into sustainable TNHE partnership development at a sector and provider level. Training focused on developing understanding of internal quality assurance mechanisms with focus across four main themes. The themes were an introduction to transnational education, creating a culture of quality, stakeholder mapping, and governance and management.

A key aim of the training was to illustrate the opportunities for multinational and multicultural exposure to research and academia made possible through THNE and the benefits this can bring for students' career development and wider society. The programme was undertaken through QAA’s capacity to support the development of higher education quality internationally and to promote collaboration with international partners.

Atty. Lily Freida M. Milla from CHED’s Office of the Deputy Executive Director, Director-in-Charge, International Affairs Staff, said: 'The Philippines is embarking on new areas in higher education such as free education, Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF), Philippine Credit Transfer System (PCTS) and Transnational Higher Education (TNHE). TNHE may not be a new field in the Philippines as policies thereto were established since 2013. But the world has changed since COVID-19, and higher education has a pivotal role in the transformation of life and work post-pandemic.

'The TNHE law is the spark and anchor for this transformation of higher education. It provides the impetus for changing mindset and reimagining higher education in the Philippines. We are grateful that the British Council (BC) and Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) are CHED's partners in this transformative journey.          

'The trainings were a learning experience to both CHED and QAA wherein we gained insights of our respective education systems, policies and quality assurance. It revealed CHED's needs and prospects as to TNHE. There is much room to grow for the Philippines on TNHE and with QAA's mentoring, we will be able to realise, based on our context, our priorities for TNHE that will drive the development of human capital in our country.'

The British Council’s Philippines Director, Lotus Postrado, said: 'This series of training in transnational education attests to the Philippines' strong push to enhance global competitiveness of its higher education sector, strengthening its human capital and building skills for competitiveness.

'For this new project, we seek to craft a national TNE strategy, a culmination and natural progression of our long-standing partnership with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). This collaboration has continuously evolved through the years - from building individual and institutional capacity, scholarship grants for TNE, to now enabling systems change through policies. 

'We couldn't be more excited to work again with QAA. Five years since working together to train Philippine universities on quality assurance, our initiatives continue to open doors for collaborations between the UK and the Philippines. This new project is a great avenue to contribute to efforts in shaping policy environment, making this process informed by the best of the UK's insights and experience. Collaborations such as this training programme continues to demonstrate how the UK's expertise and innovation in higher education helps build long-lasting and impactful partnerships around the world.'

QAA’s Director of International and Professional Services, Eduardo Ramos, said: 'The British Council and CHED’s alliance to support UK transnational education in the Philippines represents a significant opportunity to provide high-quality education to the country’s growing school leaver population. I am delighted that both organisations have entrusted QAA with the training components that will underpin the growth of UK transnational education in the country, and I am looking forward to continuing this fruitful collaboration in the future.'