Philippines Joins the Meeting with BC Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training and Officials from BCCIE and VCC

(Top photo) Consul General Maria Andrelita Austria (standing, 4L) joins the ASEAN Consuls General in Vancouver in a meeting with Hon. Anne Kang, BC Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training, together with the officials from the British Columbia Council for International Education (BCCIE) and Vancouver Community College (VCC) on 17 March 2022. (Photo from Vancouver PCG)

21 March 2022 – The ASEAN Consuls General in Vancouver (ACGV) met with BC Minister Anne Kang of Advanced Education and Skills Training, together with the officials from the British Columbia Council for International Education (BCCIE) and Vancouver Community College (VCC) on 17 March 2022.

VCC President Ajay Patel, in his opening remarks, noted that education is the place where all start to find a common ground. He added that “through international education, we can set up the next generation for success by teaching them to tackle issues together as global citizens.”

Meanwhile, Minister Kang, in her remarks, underscored the importance of international education and shared her family’s experience as immigrants from Taiwan, which centered on her father’s international studies in Vancouver.  Minister Kang said that she wants her own story to be the story of all students that come to British Columbia.

International education organizations such as the Asia Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE), the University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific (UMAP), and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) then presented their projects and initiatives for international students.

(Left photo) Consul General Maria Andrelita Austria (left) shares the efforts of the Philippine Posts in Canada (PPC) in making the educational curriculum in the Philippines align more closely with the curriculum in place in different provinces in Canada. (Right photo) Consul General Maria Andrelita Austria (right) with Hon. Anne Kang, BC Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training. (Photos from Vancouver PCG)

Following the presentations, ASEAN Consuls General were given the opportunity to discuss their respective existing educational ties, as well as opportunities and challenges for enhanced educational collaboration on various fronts.

Consul General Maria Andrelita Austria highlighted that one of the fastest growing source countries in terms of international students in Canada is the Philippines.  In line with the advocacy of the Philippine Posts in Canada (PPC) for the recognition of credentials of Filipino immigrants, Consul General Austria discussed the challenges encountered by Filipinos in Canada who are unable to practice the professions they were trained to do.  She also shared the efforts of the PPC in making the educational curriculum in the Philippines align more closely with the curriculum in place in different provinces in Canada.  END