Think tank calls for stronger cooperation in education in APEC

As the country prepares to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2015, a study by state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) calls for a stronger cooperation in human resource development among member countries of the APEC.

Dr. Tereso Tullao, professor of economics at De La Salle University-Manila and lead author of the PIDS study, “Establishing the Linkages between Human Resource Development and Inclusive Growth”, pointed out that APEC member-countries with their different levels of economic development, can learn from the experiences of one another in human resource development.

“Education and human resource development are important in pursuing the goals of the APEC and in narrowing the income gaps among its member-economies. For example, improvement in economic opportunities for women and vulnerable groups requires access to education and skills training,” Dr. Tullao said.

Human capital development is being proposed as a major thrust and theme in the 2015 APEC Meeting in Manila. Dr. Tullao suggested there should be discussions on how countries could collaborate in developing science and technology in the APEC region as a way to develop and narrow existing gaps in knowledge capital. Specific measures for increasing productivity of small and medium enterprise through skills training should likewise be explored.

Dr. Tullao attributed the inadequate cooperative programs among educational institutions in the region to the limited appreciation of cooperation in educational systems by professors and students in APEC economies, as well as higher educational institutions (HEIs) of other economies.

“Interuniversity cooperation can only proceed when there is a sense of community among professors and students in APEC economies. To this end, there is a need to establish and maintain academic exchanges among the leading universities in each economy. Synchronization of the academic calendar, standardization of course offerings, and measures of accreditation and recognition should also be pursued to facilitate academic exchanges. Related to this, there is a need to establish an academic exchange visa for students and professors similar to the APEC business visa,” the study further recommended.

The PIDS study also pointed out that the economic and technological gaps among APEC member-economies provide avenues for cooperation and technical assistance. For example, the experience of Chinese Taipei and South Korea in training technical workers to support their labor-intensive industries in the past can assist developing economies in APEC like the Philippines to improve their technical and vocational education. Cooperation can take the form of sharing of modern equipment and technologies, teacher training in technical and vocational skills, and accreditation and qualification measures in technical competency, the study suggested.

Meanwhile, existing regional cooperative groupings in education, human resource development, and science and technology such as the programs and initiatives under the ASEAN University Network (AUN), Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning (ASAIHL), among others, can be expanded by increasing their membership and widening the coverage of cooperation.

APEC member-economies are also facing common issues related to labor and talent mismatch. Thus, it is useful for countries to exchange best practices in addressing the problems of educated unemployment and talent mismatch as well as the migration of human resources.

“There should be regular discussions of officials and researchers on how to address this problem of mismatch. There should be mechanisms where these exchanges of best practices can be facilitated either through a website, joint research projects, and regular conferences on the issue,” Dr. Tullao stated.

The wide gaps in educational indicators and human resource development in APEC member-economies could also be minimized through various means of cooperation and technical assistance.

“Aside from exchange of professors, the twinning of academic programs among universities in the region should be expanded. Universities in developed economies in the region may partner with key universities in the developing economies in terms of faculty development, program cooperation, and joint research undertakings. These cooperative measures can, in turn, strengthen the research and development capacity of research and academic institutions, and improve graduate education in APEC member-economies, the author explained.

Lastly, to foster connectivity, there is a need to enhance cross-border education, movement of workers, and development of an APEC-wide qualification referencing framework. (PIDS)