MMSU was one of the five schools in the Philippines which participated in the 3rd partnership workshop of the South East Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO)-China Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Cultural Twinning Program.

The workshop aimed to strengthen the collaboration between the SEA and Chinese TVET institutions; provide opportunity of capacity development for TVET administrators, teachers, and students through cross-country partnership programs between China and SEA countries; set up the partnership agreements which can be implemented in September 2019 onwards; and develop a group of modelling TVET institutions of best practices for cross-country partnership development.

Held last July 25-26 in Guiyang, PR China, the meeting was hosted by Guizhou Provincial Department of Education, the CACEW Secretariat, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) China Center and Guizhou Polytechnic of Construction, and co-organized by the SEAMEO Secretariat.

Dr. Angelina Abrojena and Dr. Cesario Pacis, deans of the College of Business, Economics and Accountancy and College of Industrial Technology, respectively, represented the university in the meeting. 

The two MMSU officials were joined by other seven participants from the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University in La Union, Iloilo Science and Technology University, Pangasinan State University, and Saint Louis University in Baguio City. They were among the 46 participants from the 30 institutions in eight Southeast Asian (SEA) countries – Cambodia (2), Indonesia (11), Lao PDR (2), Malaysia (3), Myanmar (1), Thailand (5), and Vietnam (1). A total of 66 participants from 24 institutions in China also joined the meeting.

“The program on July 25 was held by extensively focusing on sharing of successful collaborations, challenges, and recommendations from institutions on developing sustainable partnerships between China and SEA,” Dr. Abrojena said, adding that the participants also freely discussed and explored possible collaboration with the potential partners, which resulted in 142 frameworks of cooperation or agreements and 384 agreed collaborative activities that were arranged and signed.

Of the 142 agreements, 114 were signed between China and the participating SEA countries: Indonesia, 39; Philippines, 34; Malaysia, 9; Thailand, 9; Lao PDR, 7; Myanmar, 7; and Cambodia, 5.

A total of 28 agreements were also signed between SEA countries. One agreement each were signed between Lao PDR–Malaysia, Malaysia–Cambodia, Malaysia–Indonesia, Philippines–Lao PDR, Thailand–Indonesia, and Thailand–Myanmar; two agreements each between Lao PDR–Thailand, Philippines–Thailand, and Philippines–Vietnam; five agreements each between Philippines–Indonesia, and Philippines–Myanmar; and six agreements between Philippines–Cambodia.

The agreed activities include 98 student exchanges; 82 teacher exchanges; 59 management visits; 29 short courses/joint trainings; 23 joint conferences/seminars; 16 each for joint summer courses/student activities,researches, diploma/dual programs; 13 each for scholarships/internships,and cultural exchange/study tours; nine online collaborative teaching-learning or digital classes, seven training centers establishment, and three joint curriculum development.

As recorded by SEAMEO, the first and second partnership workshops in 2017 and 2018 have resulted in the signing of 213 frameworks of agreements between Chinese and SEA TVET institutions, and 600 agreed collaborative activities. 

SEAMEO reported that these partnership agreements implemented more than 370 students and 163 teachers’ exchange, over 250 scholarships from China to Southeast Asia, and at least 12 management and study visits. Two dual programs and the ASEAN-China Teacher Development Center were in the process of development.