THE VISAYAS State University is poised to become a pioneer on water education in the country with the approval of its two-year research project that will be used to train faculty members and local researchers on water management.

VSU partnered with the Commission on Higher Education and the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education for a research on “Capacity Development and Needs Assessment of Higher Education Institutions in the Field of Water Education” under the International Continuing Education Program Grant which officially started in December 2020 and will end in December 2022.

The project will have a budget of P19.2 million, P6.4 million of which will be allocated for the conference, workshops, and short study visits to IHE Delft.

Around P10.4 million will be appropriated for the cascading of skills, knowledge, and best practices in water resources management to various SUCs, LGUs, and other participating HEIs.

“The project mainly aims to develop a local pool of multidisciplinary experts in the field of water education by providing comprehensive knowledge and technical understanding of water resource management,” the university said.

It added that short courses on water education will be designed and will be offered online and face-to-face. The courses can be taken in the Philippines or in the Netherlands.

Aside from short courses on water education, VSU said personnel from selected Philippine HEIs who will be part of the project will have the chance to visit international research centers engaged in water sector research.

“From July to December this year, this project will conduct a conference and a series of localized workshops that will be attended by selected faculty members and researchers from the 10 SUCs in Eastern Visayas,” the university said.

“These activities will also be participated by representatives from various LGUs including selected universities and colleges outside of Region 8 that are currently doing water education activities such as water resources engineering, environmental management, and water governance, among others,” it added.

Twenty participants will be selected for a short study visit in IHE Delft in the Netherlands — five representatives each from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and the National Capital Region.

“Upon completion of their short study program in Europe, these twenty focal persons are expected to lead in the cascading of skills, knowledge, and best practices on water resources management to other SUCs, LGUs, and other related government sectors,” VSU said.

VSU President Edgardo Tulin thanked CHED Chief Prospero De Vera for the agency’s overwhelming support to the university’s core programs and projects.

“We see this endeavor as a way of solving some of our pressing problems in the water sector through science and technology,” Tulin said.

IHE Delft Institute for Water Education is the largest international graduate water education facility in the world. It carries out educational, research, and capacity development activities in the broad field of water management, environment, sanitation, and governance.