To help upskill Philippine education leaders with problem-solving, decision-making, and team-building skills that will enable them to face 21st century challenges, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) partnered with two Singaporean organizations for a capability and development program.
CHED, the Nanyang Polytechnic International (NYPi), and the Temasek Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implement the “Innovations in Teaching and Learning for Digitalization and Industry 4.0” project.
The MoU signing was led by CHED Chairman Popoy De Vera and NYPi CEO Henry Heng. It was witnessed by Temasek Foundation CEO Ng Boon Heong.
“This collaboration with Singaporean institutions shows the Commission’s commitment to empowering our education leaders, as we believe that it is imperative that they be equipped with the tools needed to empower and prepare our graduates for the world of work,” De Vera said in a statement issued Friday, April 22.
The capability and development program, CHED said, supports its goal to “improve teaching and learning pedagogies in line with the fourth industrial revolution.”
A total of 175 CHED officials, education leaders, deans, vice deans, and faculty from different Philippine Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) will be trained in this project in the areas of Information Technology (IT), technology, manufacturing, and business services.
De Vera said that the project with NYPi and Temasek Foundation is the latest in a series of “capacity building programs of the Commission to train education leaders that will help produce graduates with the needed 21st century skills.”
The training, De Vera explained, will be conducted in a flexible learning mode, both through virtual and face-to-face modes in the Philippines and Singapore.
CHED said that the project will cover education infrastructures for digitalization and tools for teaching and learning.
The participants will also be engaged through learning sessions, workshops, case studies, and wire-side chats with NYPi trainers.
CHED said that the participants will also learn about Singapore’s roadmap for “Industry 4.0 Readiness and Smart Nation” and benchmark with NYPi's curriculum and key strategies to produce industry-ready graduates.
An example of this, CHED said, is the Centers of Excellence of NYPi where teaching and learning are conducted in an integrated manner through hands-on and real-life industry projects.