Speaking at a panel during the British Council-led ASEAN-UK Education Week in Manila, speakers stressed that transnational education (TNE) and research partnerships must be shaped around the needs of local institutions and economies, rather than simply exporting UK models overseas.
Michelle Aguilar-Ong, commissioner of the Philippines’ Commission on Higher Education (CHED), said the Philippines was preparing to launch a national strategy for transnational higher education, identifying digital transformation, renewable energy and the blue economy as priority areas for international cooperation.
She also highlighted the pace of change in the global skills landscape, warning that “by 2030, 39% of the skills today won’t be relevant anymore”.
Speakers also said partnerships would need to move beyond high-level discussions and translate into practical collaboration between institutions.
Kostantino Kontis, chair of the UUKi Asia Network and dean for global engagement in China and East Asia, at the University of Glasgow, said even modest amounts of seed funding could help bring academics together and establish the foundations for longer-term partnerships.
Universities should “co-design programs that the partner identifies as valuable”, he said, rather than simply transplanting existing UK models into local contexts.
Daley Middleton, head of trade at the UK’s Department for Education, advocated for the UK’s “extensive” TNE experience, “world-class quality” as reasons why British universities would make good partners.
But he pointed out that ASEAN countries have other options open to them. “As fabulous as we are [in the UK], ASEAN does not necessarily need to choose one partner, and we obviously encourage everyone to advocate for their own needs,” he said.
Middleton highlighted the scale of existing engagement, with more than 39,000 students from Southeast Asia studying at UK higher education institutions in the last academic year. More than 96,000 students across the region were also involved in UK TNE programs.
“These are not just impressive figures,” he said. “They represent decades of institutional partnerships, research collaborations and people-to-people connections.”
These are not just impressive figures. They represent decades of institutional partnerships, research collaborations and people-to-people connections
Daley Middleton, UK Department for Education
The future of international education would be about more than student mobility alone, Middleton added, pointing to the growing importance of TNE, joint degrees and research partnerships.
Meanwhile, the UK’s ambassador to ASEAN, Helen Fazey, reiterated the UK’s commitment to ASEAN and its institutions, pointing to the strength of the relationship and the importance attached to engagement with the region.
Universities including Reading, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Goldsmiths and Liverpool Hope are already working with local partners to develop joint programs.
And addressing the conference via video link, the UK’s international education champion Sir Steve Smith said the UK viewed ASEAN as a long-term partner in education, research and skills, adding that successful TNE partnerships should strengthen both institutions involved.
Students should receive excellent teaching, appropriate support and clear information about their qualifications, he said.
