A newly signed law will allow Foreign Higher Education Institutions (FHEI) to open branches in the Philippines.
Last month, President Duterte finally signed into law Republic Act (RA) 114481, or the Transnational Higher Educational Act, to boost the preparedness to the so-called fourth industrial revolution of the country’s students by exposing them to international education.
The new legislation allows qualified FHEIs to partner with the country’s Higher Education Institutions (HEI).
To be covered by the law, FHEIs must be recognized in the country where it is based; have standards on a par or higher with HEIs; and have the ability to provide support services to students.
The FHEIs may enter into partnerships with HEIs, which are registered with the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), to come up with joint degrees with the necessary authorization from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
They may also incorporate a Philippine company to operate its branch campus, provided that 60 percent of its voting stocks are reserved for Filipinos and comply with SEC regulations.
The faculty and academic personnel of the branch campus may be 80 percent foreign nationals. As for its administrative and staff members, 40 percent of them can be FN.
If the FHEIs is ranked among the top 500 universities in the world, its curriculum approval will be given special consideration by CHED.
The law exempts the revenues and assets of nonprofit and nonstock Transnational Higher Education Institutions from taxes and duties.
In preparation for the implementation of RA 114481, CHED will be required to create a Transnational Higher Education Division that will create policies for FHEIs.
CHED and other concerned government agencies will be required to submit the law’s implementing rules and regulations 90 days after its effectivity.