THE University of the Philippines has called on presidential bets to invest in “knowledge capital,” saying that “higher education is the key to inclusive growth.”
UP president Alfredo Pascual said the university has already presented a “think paper” on Knowledge-Based Development and Governance to the five presidential aspirants—Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senators Grace Poe and Miriam Santiago, former Interior and Local Government secretary Manuel Roxas II and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte “for their consideration.”
The study, which Pascual called “a road map to inclusive growth, can form the basis for a comprehensive review of the country’s educational and human resource development policy, particularly in research and development, he said, adding the adoption of the right set of policies could enable the country to catch up with its Asian neighboring countries in producing a high-level human resource.
“We hope that all our presidential candidates will read this paper and respond to its findings and recommendations in their platforms,” the University president said.
“We will welcome their ideas, and are inviting them to share those ideas with the University community and our people at large.”
On March 20, UP-Cebu will host the second presidential debate, of which education is one of the key topics.
Citing the study, Pascual said despite increasing government investments in education, not enough money has gone into research and development, and into producing and supporting more top-level researchers.
“This is why the Philippines has been left behind by many of its Association of Southeast Asian Nations co-members and continues to suffer from high income inequality and poverty,” he said.
“We still spend only 3 percent of gross domestic product on education, compared to an average of 5-6 percent in the rest of Asean,” the study read.
The study was conducted by the Center for Integrative and Development Studies, the university’s think tank, in coordination with the Office of the President and the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
“This is why even our best universities lag behind their global and regional counterparts. In 2014, the University of the Philippines ranked only eighth out of the top 10 universities in Asean. In 2012, the Philippines ranked 92nd in the global Knowledge Economy Index, far behind Singapore, which placed 23rd,” the study said.
“Expenditure on research and development by government and industry is low. So our level of technology remains low in quality and scale, and concentrated in sectors that are not considered high-value. To catch up and move ahead faster, we need to raise our technological knowledge and skills, which only advanced education and training can address.”
To further strengthen the country’s research and development, the government would have to send more Filipinos abroad for advanced studies as well as encourage more foreign-based professionals to return, Pascual said.
Moreover, leading international experts and educators must be hired to help bring their local counterparts up to global standards and to introduce new ideas.
The government would also need to map out a network of “hub-and-spokes” involving schools, government bodies, businesses and civil society organizations throughout the country, tapping local expertise, the study recommended.
“Beyond building infrastructure, we need to build the suprastructure of economic growth,” Pascual said.
“That means harnessing the intellectual and creative energies of our people through more rationalized and responsive education. We need to ensure that enough of our best minds stay in the country to drive innovation and help develop the rest of our labor force. It is also not enough to be satisfied with the country’s current success in mainly voice-based business process outsourcing. To really get ahead and add more value to the economy, we need to develop more software engineers and other technology experts.”