THE COMMISSION on Higher Education and Canada’s province of Saskatchewan inked a Memorandum of Understanding to create more opportunities for academic exchanges.

The collaboration also aims to strengthen ties between post-secondary institutions by creating opportunities for information and knowledge exchange, innovation and research collaboration, and mobility for academics and students.

“Canada welcomes the signing of the MOU as a testament to our strong cooperation with the Philippines in higher education that is founded on joint collaboration achieved throughout the years,” Peter MacArthur, Canada’s Ambassador to the Philippines, said.

“This MOU between CHED and the Ministry of Advanced Education of Saskatchewan is another building block on the already strong foundation from which people-to-people ties between our countries can further flourish in the years to come,” MacArthur added.

The government of Saskatchewan was the first provincial government to enter an academic partnership with the Philippines.

“We are proud to bring recognition to Saskatchewan on a global platform and build further opportunities for students, faculty and researchers,” Saskatchewan’s Minister of Advanced Education Gene Makowsky said.

The MOU is a key component of Saskatchewan’s new international education strategy that can contribute to the province’s plans for economic recovery and population growth.

It also aligns with CHED’s efforts for stronger internationalization of Philippine schools in areas of cooperation such as mobility, training, professional development, capacity-building, development of potential credit transfer instruments, and research collaboration opportunities, among others.

“This important MOU will provide the framework for the new programs of academic cooperation with Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Advanced Education in areas such as information and education exchange, and research collaboration,” CHED Chairperson Prospero De Vera III said.