State Minister of Ethiopia visits UPOU

 

The Ethiopian State Minister, His Excellency Wondwossen Kiflu, met with the officials of the UP Open University, led by its Chancellor Dr. Grace Javier Alfonso to know how UPOU implements its distance education programs and to explore possible development projects that Ethiopia can work out with the university.

H.E. Minster Kiflu expressed his interest to enter into collaborative programs in the following areas:
a) capacity building, i.e., training on development of graduate degree programs to be offered through distance education materials; development of learning materials, etc.
b) development of a common curriculum
c) faculty/personnel exchange program

The Minister added that his country is particularly interested with the development of degree programs/certification courses on Education, Information System, Engineering, Architecture, and Urban Planning.

Chancellor Alfonso said that the university is open to initiatives that would make possible the further development of “global learning communities.” She told H.E. Kiflu that UPOU now is able to reach students from 44 countries.

On 1-5 June 2009, upon the invitation of Minister Kiflu, UPOU officials will come to Ethiopia meet with the Ethiopian Ministry of Education officials to discuss and finalize the partnership and development projects that the two institutions can work on.

The meeting was held on 22 April 2009 at the UPOU Headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna. It was also attended by officers of the German Development Cooperation based in Ethiopia. They are Dr. Josef Most, Manager, Engineering Capacity Building Program (ECBP), TVET Reform Component and Mr. Ricardo Mejia, Expert on Outcome-Based Assessment and Certification (Luisa A. Gelisan, OC).

Date posted: April 29, 2009