By Roy Mabasa
Deserving employees of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), as well as members of the academe from the Asia Pacific College (APC), may soon be able to acquire post-graduate studies in one of the highly ranked schools Down Under – the Carnegie Mellon University of Australia (CMU-A).
Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Amanda Gorely (photo from Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade)
This opportunity was made possible thru the signing of a memorandum of understanding between CMU-A, the DBM and the APC aimed at enhancing policy, regulation, and service delivery skills through the university’s Master of Science in Public Policy and Management (MSPPM) and Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) programs.
CMU-A ranked first in both the School of Computer Science and in Information and Technology Management, according to the 2014 and 2016 US News and World Report.
“We are pleased to expand our partnership that will provide tailored educational experiences for Filipinos and strengthen learning exchange between our countries,” Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Amanda Gorely said in a statement on Thursday.
The Australian Embassy in Manila said it has a long-standing partnership with DBM, which included collaboration to improve public financial system initiatives.
Since 2015, twenty-six DBM personnel have already studied in Australia through the Australia Awards Scholarships to support the country’s budget office’ change and reform initiatives.
“We aim to be one of the world's top budget institutions run by high performing personnel and sustained by an effective succession plan. We are making this possible by cooperating with various outstanding institutions such as the CMU-A,” said Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno.
The partnership between CMU-A and APC, on the other hand, will focus on the professional development of APC’s faculty and create meaningful linkages between academic peers.
According to APC chair Ramon Dimacali, the MOU will also focus on joint research and training activities and collaboration on design and delivery of courses on business intelligence, data analytics, security and digital transformation.
“We shall jointly pursue funding opportunities, including the Australia Awards program of the Australian Government, as appropriate,” he said.
APC is the training center of the country’s BPO industry and developed the IT-enabled curriculum for Senior High School. In 2017, CHED recognized APC as a Center of Development in Computer Engineering. APC was a product of educational collaboration between IBM Philippines and SM Foundation.
Ambassador Gorely witnessed the signing of the MOU between CMU-A head Prof. Emil Bolongaita, Diokno, and Dimacali.