Phl, Indonesia renew education partnership

The Philippines and Indonesia have renewed their partnership to cooperate in various education initiatives.

The Department of Education (DepEd) yesterday said a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between Education Secretary Leonor Briones and her Indonesian counterpart, Minister for Education and Culture Muhadjir Effendy.

Briones said the partnership recognizes and formalizes the “great relationship” between the DepEd and the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture, symbolizing the brotherhood, togetherness and oneness of the two countries.

The MOU aims to promote cooperation in basic and secondary education on a reciprocal basis as well as to promote collaboration in the advancement of knowledge and intellectual development, according to the DepEd.

“There are many parallels and big commonalities between the two ministries and the education sectors both in terms of its size, student population and bureaucracy. Even our challenges are similar, like climate change,” Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan said.

“I’m glad that we just signed the renewal of the MOU on education cooperation between our countries. I believe the renewal of the MOU will mark the joint efforts of both governments in strengthening cooperation in the fields of education,” Effendy said.

The DepEd and the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture signed the initial partnership in 2011.

New activities between the two agencies will be planned for the next two years, with representatives to the joint working group scheduled to meet in Indonesia in 2020 to discuss the next steps in the partnership.