STATE think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) has called for stronger collaboration among member-economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) group to develop human resources and narrow existing gaps in education.
At the same time, PIDS also said that specific measures for increasing productivity of small and medium enterprise through skills training should, likewise, be explored.
"Education and human-resource development are important in pursuing the goals of the Apec [group] 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,” Tereso Tullao said.
A 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,” Tullao said that Apec economies can learn from the experiences of one another in human-resource development, which is being proposed as a major thrust and theme in the 2015 Apec Ministerial Summit in Manila.
During the meeting, Tullao suggested that Apec member-economies collaborate in developing science and technology in the Apec region.
He said there is an inadequate cooperative program among educational institutions in the region, owing to the limited appreciation of cooperation in educational systems by professors and students in Apec economies, as well as higher educational institutions of other economies.
The study said that inter-university cooperation can only proceed when there is a sense of community among professors and students in Apec economies, hence, the need to establish and maintain academic exchanges among the leading universities in each economy.
Moreover, the study revealed that synchronization of the academic calendar, standardization of course offerings, and measures of accreditation and recognition should also be pursued to facilitate academic exchanges.
Similar to the Apec business visa, the study suggested the establishment of an academic exchange visa for students and professors.
PIDS said the economic and technological gaps among Apec member-economies provide avenues for cooperation and technical assistance and cited as an 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 area 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,” the study said.
The study suggested to expand existing regional cooperative groupings in education, human-resource development, and science and technology, such as the programs and initiatives under the Asean University Network, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization, Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning.
This can be done, the study said, 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 web site, joint research projects, and regular conferences on the issue,” Tullao added.
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.
Stronger partnership with 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 is necessary, Tullao said, adding that the cooperative measures can, in turn, strengthen the research and development capacity of research and academic institutions, and improve graduate education in Apec member-economies.
Last, to foster connectivity, there is a need to enhance cross-border education, movement of workers, and development of an Apec area-wide qualification referencing framework, Tullao said.
The government is now gearing for the country’s hosting of the 2015 Apec summit next year.//
PIDS calls for stronger Apec collaboration in education, human-resource devt
