The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is championing broader Asia-Pacific collaboration to encourage ethical artificial intelligence integration, broaden institutional networks, and foster forward-looking academic practices across the region.
CHED Executive Director Atty. Cinderella Filipina Benitez-Jaro delivered the call at the Sixth China-ASEAN Education Research Network Meeting in Guiyang, China, spotlighting AI’s pivotal role in reshaping post-secondary learning and gearing students up for a tech-driven global landscape.
“Artificial intelligence is no longer confined to a single discipline. It is transforming teaching and learning, research, quality assurance, institutional governance, and innovation across higher education. As such, AI must be harnessed responsibly to enhance educational quality, inclusivity, and resilience,” Benitez-Jaro said.
She explained that CHED actively spearheads digital modernization within Philippine colleges and universities by updating policies and cultivating global partnerships centered on joint research, academic mobility, tech innovation, and skill building.
Benitez-Jaro noted that multilateral platforms like the China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week offer crucial spaces for constructive policy exchanges, sharing best practices, and formulating combined strategies to solve shared educational hurdles.
These joint measures support CHED’s ACHIEVE Agenda—a comprehensive seven-point reform roadmap designed to bolster human capital in step with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s target of equipping Filipinos for a rapidly shifting, high-tech economy.
“As we gather for the CAECW and the Sixth Asia-Pacific Education Research Network, let us reaffirm a shared responsibility to ensure that AI serves humanity, education must remain a force for peace and sustainable development, and our partnerships build a higher education community that is innovative, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of our peoples,” she said.
At the same gathering, Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime FlorCruz highlighted how sustained scholastic and cultural engagements fortify overall bilateral ties.
“Such educational exchanges greatly contribute to fostering a deeper understanding of the cultures of the Philippines and China and strengthening people-to-people ties that promote a more harmonious diplomatic relations between the two nations,” FlorCruz said.