The Emerging Education Hub in

Asia-Pacific- Manila Bulletin

•According to the Bureau of Immigration, over 60,000 foreign students were granted student visas and special study permits (SSPs) in 2011. •This does not include the tens of thousands enrolled in small institutions that offer short courses in English and are popular among South Korean and Chinese students.

•In school year 2010-2011, over 19,000 foreigners enrolled in Philippine colleges and universities for various courses.

•South Koreans topped the list, followed by Chinese, Iranians, and Americans.

•In the 1980s, the government began drawing foreign students to study in the Philippines, mostly in medicine and agriculture. •A decade later, many schools and institutions offered short-term courses in English language, aviation, hotel and restaurant management, and maritime studies.

•In 2000, the government promoted the country as education center in Asia, making it easier for foreign students to apply for visas. •It also established exchange programs between Philippine schools and universities in Australia, United States, South Korea, Canada, and Europe.

• An immigration policy friendly to foreign students. • Affordable study.• Affordable living costs• The Filipinos’ hospitable and friendly nature. •Foreigners do not find it hard to study in Philippine schools and adapt to Philippine culture and norms.

• The Philippines is fast emerging as an education center in the Asia-Pacific Region.• Many Philippine schools are accredited abroad, and their graduates are creating a good impression worldwide. • After graduation, a number of foreigners stay and work in the Philippines. • Some marry Filipinos and raise a family in the country.• Others do business.

• The improved educational system, • Trained faculty members, • Quality facilities • The government should implement measures to ensure a more conducive and safer learning environment for them.• To continue attracting foreign students to the Philippines.

GMA News Team

In Sitio Pagtilao, on the peak of a mountain known to be the farthest point in the village of Calawis in Antipolo City dwell some forty Dumagat families.

• Dumagat’s tribe’s name was derived from the word “dagat” or sea. • Dumagats generally possess the physical traits of the Negrito race. • Dark brown to black complexions and curly hair. •Their ancestors used to live along the coastal stretches of neighboring Quezon province. •

• But when Filipino homesteaders arrived in their area, they were pushed farther and farther into the mountains, and eventually dispersed in small groups.• The residents in Sitio Pagtilao may have been the result of mixing with lowlanders as many of them have straight hair and light complexions.

• Dumagats were also isolated by government services that includes education.• Far from the mainstream, they had been deprived of their right to education, making them illiterate.• The absence of education has not only kept them in poverty but has also made them objects of ridicule and discrimination by people in the lowlands.

•One of their elders, Domingo Cruz, who doesn’t even know how old he is, said there is hardly an instance when he has not experienced being laughed at each time he goes to town.

•“It’s hard. We only have this forest to roam around. We cannot mingle with other people in the town. They look down on us like we are of no value because we know nothing.”

• Mobile teachers was for them a ray of sunshine after a long darkness.• Mobile teachers have endured long walks, forest living, and shortened time with families in order to make education accessible to the Dumagats.

•They are provided with instructional materials by the DepEd to help them with reading, writing and counting.• Yolanda Cruz, a mother, attends the class together with her five young children, including her three-month-old baby.

•In 2011, DepEd created the National Indigenous People Education Policy Framework to reaffirm the country's commitment to achieve Education For All by 2015 and the Millennium Development Goals.

•Under this policy framework, DepEd will provide adequate and culturally appropriate environment and learning resources to IPs learners. Textbooks and supplementary materials will be developed, along side the adoption of mother tongue-based multilingual education for IPs learners.

The Philippine Star

* A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted from March 10 to 13 showed that more than half of Filipinos or 65 percent believe that the program will give students more sufficient knowledge and preparation for college and work compared to those who finished only 10 years of basic education.