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AMBASSADOR PONCE HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL DIPLOMACY AT HIGHER EDUCATION ROUNDTABLE
Kuala Lumpur, 02 MAY 2024 – At an Ambassadors’ Roundtable convened by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) on 24 April 2024, H.E. Maria Angela A. Ponce highlighted the role of embassies and the importance of cultural diplomacy in promoting higher education.
Speaking at the Ambassadors’ Roundtable: The Odes of Innovating Solutions Transfiguring Globalization in Higher Education, Ambassador Ponce said that “as diplomats, part of our mandate is to facilitate partnerships not just on a government- to-government level, but also through people-to-people exchanges, including academic exchanges.” In recognition of this, the Philippines’ foreign ministry has established a stand-alone Office of Cultural Diplomacy, and that engagement with academic institutions is one of the Embassy’s priorities.
The Ambassador added that in the same vein, higher education institutions must also engage in cultural diplomacy, to attract foreign students and increase exchanges with institutions from other countries, but especially in the ASEAN region.
Drawing from her experience as a British Chevening scholar in the United Kingdom, Ambassador Ponce highlighted the importance of an individual’s formation during their student years, and the effectiveness of educational exchanges in promoting mutual understanding of countries and cultures.
She remarked that in ASEAN, the 2015 Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Higher Education remains a guidepost for all member states. The Declaration acknowledges higher education as one of the catalysts in accelerating ASEAN’s economic, political and sociocultural development agenda. It calls on ASEAN Member States agreed to build an innovation-driven ASEAN Community with critical thinking capability and skill by 2025. But the Ambassador noted that “as we all worked towards the goal of achieving that in 2025, the transcendental challenge of COVID came our way; so too with the advanced acceleration of climate change, and the advent of disruptive technologies.” This current landscape has made all realize the need for international education cooperation, and for higher education institutions to continue to strive for excellence - to innovate, become part of global networks for peer learning, economic and innovation networks that interface closely with business organizations, social partners, and the public sector.
She urged higher education universities in Malaysia to promote international education cooperation, noting that Malaysia has its Internationalisation Policy for Higher Education, together with the Education Blueprint for Higher Education 2015- 2025. The Philippines too has a Higher Education Internationalization Roadmap 2023-2027, which envisions a Philippine higher education system that is equitable and produces locally responsive, innovative, and globally competitive graduates and lifelong learners.
Ambassador Ponce concluded that as Malaysia takes on the chairpersonship of ASEAN in 2025, it is an opportune time to reflect on the higher education agenda, and chart the path of ASEAN’s higher education policies and frameworks. As part of ASEAN, she added that it’s important that its members support and promote exchanges between students and academic institutions.
The Roundtable was held in conjunction with the launch of the Erasmus+ Malaysia Hub, in which UTM was appointed as Malaysia’s Erasmus+ National Focal Point. Deputy Minister of Higher Education YB Datuk Ts. Mustapha Sakmud graced the event as guest-of-honor, while H.E. Michalis Rokas, Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to Malaysia, delivered the keynote address.
The speakers at the Ambassadors’ Roundtable also included H.E. Andreas Launder of the Embassy of Austria, H.E. Shameem Ahsan of the High Commission for the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, and H.E. Nineta Barbulescu of the Embassy of Romania.
UTM is one of the top public universities in Malaysia. It is an innovation-led and entrepreneurial research university in engineering science and technology with campuses in Kuala Lumpur and Johor.
Erasmus+ is a program of the European Union to support education, training, youth, and sport in Europe. It provides students with opportunities to study at universities in the EU.
For more information, please contact:
Embassy of the Philippines (Attention: Information Section)
1 Jalan Changkat Kia Peng, Kuala Lumpur 50450 Malaysia
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Tel No. +603 2148 4233
Fax No. +603 2148 3576
