KIST program seeks to place PHL as education hub in Asia

THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) aims to attract foreign students and position the country as an education hub in Asia through the Knowledge, Innovation, Science, and Technology (KIST) Parks.

Peza Director General Charito B. Plaza, in a news statement issued on Wednesday, said “KIST Parks will enable universities to partner with foreign universities to bringing their degree programs, skills training, and technology to their local KIST partners, hoping to attract foreign students and make the Philippines not just an investment destination but also as an education hub of Asia.”

According to Plaza, KIST Parks is a type of an ecozone located within the campuses of state universities and colleges (SUCS). The objective of KIST parks, she said, is to leverage engineering and other much-needed courses required by various industries. “It means we facilitate or ensure that the skills and jobs needed by industries are matched to those offered by these academes,” the Peza chief added.

The Peza chief noted that nearly two years ago, outgoing President Duterte officially designated Batangas State University (Batstateu) as a Peza-registered special economic zone through Proclamation No. 947 which was signed on May 22,2020.

“With this, Peza welcomed Batstateu as the Philippines’s first-ever Knowledge, Innovation, Science and Technology Park and we hope for their success as a benchmark for the whole country,” said Plaza.

Moreover, the De La Salle University, Don Mariano Marcos State University, and the University of Perpetual Help are also among the private universities proclaimed and will soon start their operations as KIST Parks, Peza said. Meanwhile, the Catanduanes State University was approved by the Peza Board as a KIST Park last October 2021 and is currently waiting for its Presidential Proclamation.

In fact, Plaza said, Peza has signed memorandums of understanding (MOUS) with various universities and institutions, namely, the Technological University of the Philippines Visayas (TUPV), the University of the Cordilleras (UC), Polytechnic University of the Philippines (Pup)-maragondon, Sti-rosario, and prominent universities in Baguio City, namely, the Benguet State University (BSU) and St. Louis University (SLU).

With these signed MOUS, Peza pointed out that these universities would provide progressive leadership in applied research, developmental studies in technical, industrial, and technological fields, and production using indigenous materials and effective technology transfer in the countryside.