STATUS, PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES OF INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY OF STUDENTS IN ASEAN: THE PHILIPPINE EXPERIENCE

Abstract

The mobility of students in ASEAN as propelled by the forces of globalization and elements of regional integration is expected to generate internationalized minded professionals for the regional economy. These mobility programs cascaded to member-states through higher educational institutions is one of the major strategic components of cooperation for developing human resource capital among ASEAN countries. Platforms and arrangements established to enhance the regional mobility of students and facilitate to achieve the aspired integration, a reality that the Philippines need to fully embrace and appreciate. This study examines the status of Philippine compliance to the ASEAN objective on student mobility using qualitative approach with data sources that included document analysis and research instruments. The researcher analyzed the documents from government agencies and other sources. The survey was developed and standardized interview was adopted where results were transcribed and coded for emerging themes. Three research questions guided this study: 1) What is the situation of the Philippine compliance with ASEAN student mobility policy; 2) What factors affect Philippine compliance with ASEAN student mobility policy?; and 3) How can Philippine student mobility be improved, if needed? The results exhibited that mobility programs in state universities and colleges (SUCs) remain to be limited in funding from the government. Most students are imbued by Filipino culture to aspire for higher education and self-development. Majority of SUCs included internationalization in institution’s policies and plans to be compliant with the SUC levelling, quality assurance assessments and responding to the ASEAN regional integration. Other challenges still persist that hinder implementation such as unpopular programs, leniency in structural arrangement, absence of centralized mobility database, multiple mobility platforms with overlapping mandates and varying credit transfer schemes, and sustainability of resources language, digital and social divides in the region, conflict of policies and laws and the consequences of COVID- 19.. With the enactment of RA 11448 (Transnational Higher Education Act), the expansion of international mobility programs is very promising and support to ASEAN regional integration efforts is encouraging.