The eleven universities participating in the Joint Development of Niche Programmes through Philippine-UK Linkages (JDNP) Project, jointly administered by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and British Council Philippines, held their UK-PH Now Round Table Discussion and Learning Session last 11 February 2019, at the campus of host University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB).
Welcomed by UPLB Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr,. the group was also joined by Dr. Sarah Cardey, Director of the Graduate Institute for International Development, Agriculture and Economics (GIIDAE) of the University of Reading (UoR). Expressing UoR’s pleasure with working with their Philippine partners, Dr. Cardey provided an overview of the progress of the first cohort of students in their dual doctoral programs with the University of Santo Tomas and the University of the Philippines (Diliman and Los Baños) as well as current plans for expansion of these partnerships.
The Round Table Discussion and Learning Session provided the venue for CHED, British Council, and university representatives to discuss the current status and challenges of the transnational graduate degree programs that have been established in collaboration with different UK higher education institutions (HEIs) through the JDNP. Moreover, initial outcomes and suggestions for improved implementation of this pilot project were also evaluated.