MANILA (September 24) — THE Philippines is positioning its higher education system to compete for more international students, but the success of the new Education Philippines (EduPhil) program will depend not only on how many foreign students the country attracts, but on how well universities educate, support and protect them once they arrive.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order 124 creating the framework for EduPhil, with the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) taking the lead in coordinating government agencies through an EduPhil Task Force.
The program seeks to establish a national framework for promoting the Philippines as a destination for international students pursuing education, research and training.
Dr. Gunasekar Ariyamuthu, global education strategist for international education at the University of Perpetual Help, described the initiative as a significant step in the internationalization of Philippine higher education, research and training.
“This development presents a significant opportunity—not only to attract more international students but also to strengthen the Philippines’ higher education system as a whole,” Ariyamuthu said.
MORE THAN RECRUITMENT
Ariyamuthu said internationalization should begin before a student arrives in the Philippines and continue through graduation.
Information about programs, documentation, visa coordination, academic support, accommodation, student welfare and cultural integration can shape an international student’s experience, he said.
EduPhil’s proposed digital portal is intended to provide a single-window platform for international student documentation, endorsement tracking, referrals and government services.
Such a system could make the process more coordinated by reducing the need for students to navigate multiple government offices and procedures, particularly during admission and visa processing.
But the bigger test comes after recruitment.
Attracting international students creates an obligation for universities to provide the academic, administrative and welfare support needed for them to succeed.
UNIVERSITIES CARRY THE EXPERIENCE
While government can establish the national framework, Ariyamuthu said higher education institutions will ultimately determine the quality of the international student experience.
Universities can deepen internationalization through joint research, student and faculty exchanges, internationalized curricula, visiting professors, collaborative academic programs and digital international learning.
CHEd’s International Affairs Service is already involved in international academic agreements, exchanges, qualification recognition and coordination involving international students and transnational education.
The challenge is to turn these mechanisms into a more consistent experience across institutions.
For international students, that means being able to access clear academic information, obtain documentation efficiently, receive appropriate support and participate meaningfully in campus life—not simply being counted as additional enrollment.
PHILIPPINES’ EXISTING FOREIGN-STUDENT MARKET
Ariyamuthu also pointed to the long-standing presence of Indian students in Philippine medical education, saying Philippine medical programs have attracted Indian students for more than two decades.
He cited the country’s use of English and its reputation for being friendly and hospitable, as well as its tropical climate, as factors that have appealed to foreign students.
These observations, however, are part of the broader recruitment narrative. The EduPhil program’s longer-term test will be whether those attractions are matched by academic quality, student welfare, international recognition and reliable government and university services.
THE ACCOUNTABILITY TEST
EduPhil should therefore be judged by more than the number of foreign students entering the country.
Government must make the promised one-stop system work. CHEd must ensure that internationalization translates into credible standards and effective oversight. And universities must be accountable for the education, welfare and support they provide after the recruitment pitch ends.
The real measure of EduPhil will not be how successfully the Philippines markets itself to the world, but whether international students who choose the country can study, live and graduate with the quality of education and support they were promised.
