The old adage, "quality, not quantity," sums up the defining criterion that separates the winning schools and countries from the rest in today's race to win a spot in the cross-border education trade. As this issue's main feature notes, international students place a high premium on the quality of education and international recognition of courses. This only suggests the great urgency of taking immediate steps to abate the deteriorating quality of Philippine higher education. If we want to uphold the competency of our workforce in the international labor market, we have to ensure that our own students get the best education.