Partnership for education

MANILA, Philippines - Australia this week launched an innovative partnership with the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) and the Phinma Foundation, Inc. to fund an undergraduate scholarship program to encourage more Filipino students to enter the teaching profession. Underprivileged but outstanding high school graduates interested in pursuing a career in public school teaching will be supported through scholarships at the Philippine Normal University. 

Australia’s assistance will be channelled through Phinma’s National Scholarship program to support PBEd’s “1,000 Teachers Program,” which aims to encourage the best and the brightest high school students to become teachers.

Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Rod Smith noted, “This will ensure that all our efforts complement and directly support the government’s basic education reform agenda. Working together we will achieve better results and more Filipino school children will benefit from increased access to quality education.”

In marking the International Teachers Day on Oct. 5, Ambassador Smith also confirmed Australia’s significant ongoing support for education in the Philippines – totalling around P2 billion each year.