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Education to the Philippines
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Trends and opportunities
The market
In the Philippines, there are 2.4 million tertiary students, six million in the secondary level, and 13 million in the primary level. In the tertiary level, most enrol in:
- business courses - 20%
- education - 11%
- computer science - 5.1%
The Philippine education system is patterned after the American system with six to seven years of primary schooling and four years of secondary schooling. As a result, Filipino students enrolling in Australia need to take a year of Foundation Studies before being admitted to university for undergraduate studies. An exception is when the student has completed an International Baccalaureate degree from a local international school.
The school year of local private and public schools starts in June and ends in March. For local universities with trimestral calendars, the school year is from May until April. Local international schools observe a different school year starting from September and ending in July, in line with the Western hemisphere.
Opportunities
There are more than 900 Filipino students studying in Australia due to its reputation for:
- quality education
- competitive costs
- safe living environment
- work prospects
- the increasing presence of family ties due to migration
Australia is increasingly being recognised as an alternative education destination to the USA. For well-off families, overseas tertiary education is considered a priority since a diploma from a foreign university will serve as a significant advantage for a child’s future employment prospects in the Philippines and overseas.
The most popular courses taken by Filipino students in Australia are:
- short-term certificate courses in culinary arts, hospitality training and IT
- university degrees
- higher education (Masters and PhD)
Aside from degree courses, there is also an opportunity for Australian institutions offering short-term certificate courses and offshore programs. Certificate courses are attractive to Filipinos as these enhance students’ qualifications and enable them to go straight to university without having to go through Foundation Studies.
A growing number of Filipinos, particularly those who already occupy managerial positions and are unable to leave their jobs for a long period of time, are enrolling in post-tertiary offshore programs offered by foreign universities in-country for their own personal and career development.
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Tariffs, regulations and customs
Industry standards
The Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) is the officially recognised accrediting agency of the Department of Education (DepEd). It accredits the programs and institutions to ensure that it meets the standards of quality education. Educational institutions are classified under four levels, with Level IV being the highest.
While DepEd is the government office tasked to provide quality basic education to Filipinos, in general, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is the governing body covering public and private higher education institutions and degree-granting programs in all tertiary educational institutions in the Philippines.
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Marketing your products and services
Market entry
Some points to consider when entering the Philippines education sector:
- Visit the Philippines regularly to nurture academic and exchange links. Relationship building is an important key to success.
- Take the time to meet with representatives in person, or take advantage of promotional missions or appropriate education trade events.
- Encourage in-country representatives to visit you and your institutions in Australia. Quite often many of the agents have not been to Australia yet.
- Supply brochures and information as marketing support.
It is important to target special niche groups when marketing Australian education in the Philippines. Students most likely to study abroad come from wealthy families studying in the exclusive private schools and local international schools in the country.
Students usually start to think about their university options when they are in Year 11. It is also the best time to introduce and guide them to the available courses offered and opportunities they have.
Austrade Manila conducts an annual 'Study in Australia Seminar Series' for Australian universities targeting a special market niche composed of students from local international schools and selected local private schools, the Filipino-Chinese community, and children of the country’s elite business community.
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Contact details
The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) is the Federal Government agency that helps Australian companies win overseas business for their products and services by reducing the time, cost and risk involved in selecting, entering and developing international markets.
Austrade offers practical advice, market intelligence and ongoing support (including financial) to Australian businesses looking to develop international markets. Austrade also provides advice and guidance on overseas investment and joint venture opportunities, and helps put Australian businesses in contact with potential overseas investors.
A list of Austrade offices (in alphabetical order of country) is available.
More information
For further information please contact Austrade on 13 28 78 or email info@austrade.gov.au
(Last updated: 13 Jul 2007)
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