Education matters

“We didn’t start the fire, it was always burning since the world’s been turning…” Do you know the famous song from Billy Joel in which he runs through more than one hundred post-World War II developments in less than 4 minutes (from Marilyn Monroe to the Suez Crisis, from the Berlin Wall to AIDS) ?

Well, if anything, it seems that the wheel of time is turning even faster these days. If you look at recent headlines, you will see references to the situation in Syria, the Korean Peninsula, the South China Sea and Trade Wars. And we all probably spend much more time to catch up with the latest on Brexit discussions than we wish we had to.

What’s the best way to get some order into this confusion? As a parent, I believe that the best inheritance I could give my children is education. That way, they would have enough comprehension of the complexities of the world they live in and know better how to deal with these complexities. We, the EU Delegation to the Philippines, over the last weeks dedicated a lot of time to education. Because we believe that a solid education is not only a human right but also the best tool to deal with an increasingly complex world, especially for the younger generations. Last weekend, we held our annual European Higher Education Fair in Manila and, for the first time, in Cavite with more than 2,500 participants.  The European Higher Education Fair provides a platform for Filipinos to receive information about studying in Europe, some even under an EU- (called Erasmus +) or Member State-funded scholarship. European universities offer world class education at a relatively affordable cost. Filipinos have a comparative advantage as English is often the language used in these programmes. 

 Last year, two Filipinos, Kent Tangcalagan and Kate Macaso finished their grades with summa cum laude, the highest distinction.

 I was once an Erasmus student and in my experience studying in a different city, country and culture can be a life-changing experience. It is not only about what you learn in the classroom, but mostly what you learn outside that helps you to understand what makes the world turn around. If you are interested in studying in Europe and could not make it to our fair, stay tuned for next year.

Education also means looking to our past, to our history. We are proud to have contributed to the Human Rights Collaboratory in Commemoration of Martial Law at the Human Rights Commission.  This collaboration will provide Filipinos with the opportunity to study what happened in their country. I am from Germany or, as we said at that time “West Germany”. I never lived under dictatorship. Even more, I am still grateful to my parents that, before the wall was brought down in 1989, they provided us as a family with the opportunity to spend three weeks in East Germany. Although I was just a teenager, I sensed the fear that can be instilled by an authoritarian regime. People tend to forget, the younger generation luckily never experienced certain things – but even more reason to work on our collective memories. 

I am happy to have a job that forces me every day to learn new things. I was truly honoured to attend the wake of the late Senate President Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel, and learned a lot about the highly respected Filipino politician and statesman. And last Saturday I participated in an EU-funded 60km “Bike for the Environment” tour in Palawan. Thanks to the local authorities, we learned about a heartwarming local project under which indigenous people illegal loggers became farmers, now proudly selling their products on the local markets – a contribution to truly sustainable development. 

Last but not least, education includes also culture. After our Cine Europa 22 Film Festival in Makati, Cebu, Naga, Iloilo, and Puerto Princesa in October, this year’s edition also goes to Baybay, Leyte on 4 to 6 November and concludes in Manila from 13 to 24 November and, for the first time, in Bohol on 22 to 23 November - hope to see you there.

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(Thomas Wiersing is Charge d’ Affaires, a.i. of the EU Delegation to the Philippines)