Sharing a strong commitment to evidence-based policy development, the Philippines and Australia came together in 2011 and jointly identified applied research on teacher quality as a priority area of cooperation. In 2012, this cooperation resulted in a partnership between the SiMERR National Research Centre at the University of New England (UNE) in Australia and the Philippine Normal University (PNU) which has been designated as the National Center for teacher education.

SiMERR National Research Centre Director Dr. John Pegg recalled that the purpose of the partnership was two-fold. “The first was to establish a research center that would undertake high-impact and strategic research in the area of teacher quality. This would provide a strong evidence base for policy development. The second was for the research center to achieve international standing in education and be able to support other countries in the region,” recalled Dr. Pegg. “This gave birth to the Philippine National Research Center for Teacher Quality (RCTQ).

At the Celebrating RCTQ Partnerships event in August 2019 which marked the renewal of PNU’s partnership with the UNE, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Mr. Steven Robinson AO shared that “Australia is very proud to be part of RCTQ’s journey right from the beginning.”

“As Australia enters a new phase of our long-standing partnership with RCTQ, I am absolutely confident that it will continue to provide valuable evidence and advice to DepEd, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and to universities and schools across the country building on the successes over the past 7 years,” Mr. Robinson told PNU and UNE officials and guests at the gathering.

RCTQ leaders with PNU and UNE officials, Sec. Leonor Magtolis Briones, Sec. Karlo Nograles, and H.E. Steven Robinson AO at the Celebrating RCTQ Partnerships event.

RCTQ Director Dr. Gina Gonong said the partnership between the two countries has triggered important reforms in the Philippine education sector through the work of RCTQ. “With intensive research work that RCTQ has accomplished since 2012, I believe that we have helped promote the importance of policy research in instituting education reforms in the Philippines,” Dr. Gonong said. “We shall continue to provide technical assistance where we are needed in order to improve the quality of teachers in this country.”

Australia’s partnership with the Philippines in the field of education started in the 1950s when thousands of students from South and Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, studied in Australian universities under the original Colombo Plan. This was followed by a number of partnership programs for education implemented with the Department of Education since 1989.

Today, May 22, RCTQ joins the whole nation in honoring the friendship forged by the Philippines and Australia, and by PNU and UNE, which successfully established the only research organization in the country devoted to improving teacher quality.

Happy Philippines-Australia Friendship Day!

https://www.rctq.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/RCTQ-FriendshipPoster2b-1024x557.jpghttps://www.rctq.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/RCTQ-FriendshipPoster2b-150x150.jpgAdminFeatureFilAussieDay,Philippine Normal University,University of New England
Sharing a strong commitment to evidence-based policy development, the Philippines and Australia came together in 2011 and jointly identified applied research on teacher quality as a priority area of cooperation. In 2012, this cooperation resulted in a partnership between the SiMERR National Research Centre at the University of New...
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