RP as the ‘Ubelt’ of Asia

A total of 19,121 foreigners have flocked to the Philippines last year to seek for higher and quality education, thus affirming the country’s status as the university belt of Asia.  The number was an improvement  from the 2008 record which registered 18,353 foreign enrollees. South Koreans topped the list of foreign students with 6,000, followed by 3,395 Chinese, 2,980 Iranians and 1,004 Americans. The list also includes hundreds of Indonesians, Indians, Taiwanese, Kuwaitis, Nepalese, Thais, Sudanese, Vietnamese, Nigerians, Kenyans, Japanese, Pakistanis, Timorese, and Myanmar nationals.

“The fact that many foreigners are studying here means that the quality of our educational system is continuously improving. Our schools are competing with the best of their counterparts in Asia in attracting foreign enrollees,” Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Ronaldo Ledesma  has said.

Most of the foreign students are studying in Metro Manila, with the biggest number of enrollees at the Centro Escolar University (1,066). Other schools that have significant foreign student populations are the University of the East (799), Far Eastern University (673), Manila Central University (504), University of Santo Tomas (453), De La Salle University (396), and Fatima (309).

Far Eastern University Manila recently celebrated the Chinese New Year through the Institute of Hotel and Tourism Management (ITHM), at the ground floor of ARH  Building with FEU officials gracing the event led by President Lydia Echauz. Its been a vision-mission of FEU  to be a university of choice in Asia as it strives to contribute to the advancement of the global society.