Text by Charmaine A. Lingdas
Photos by Sarah Hazel Moces S. Pulumbarit

The University of the Philippines Manila held a meeting with Monash College on July 14, 2025, at the UP Manila Boardroom to explore new avenues for academic collaboration.  Monash College, a fully owned subsidiary of Monash University, engaged in a dialogue with UP Manila officials focused on the development of international academic programs and potential student mobility pathways. The discussions aimed to strengthen educational ties and expand opportunities for transnational learning between the two institutions.

“We recognize that for our students and graduates to become globally competitive, we have to go out and partner with international institutions,” said UP Manila Office of International Linkages (OIL) Director Dr. Vivien Fe Fadrilan-Camacho. She presented UP Manila’s key academic programs and its distinct role as the country’s national health sciences center. She also shared information about existing partnerships with other universities and how these collaborations function in providing transnational education, including exchange student programs that promote international academic exposure and cultural exchange.

Mr. Roshana Nanayakkara, deputy CEO and CFO of Monash College, said that they are studying how the higher education system works in the country, and whether the products that they have may be something that students in the Philippines would be interested in. He emphasized the importance of identifying potential areas of collaboration with UP Manila.

“Students who haven’t met the entry requirements to go to [Monash] University, they can come into Monash College, do our pathway programs, and then move into the university,” he explained, describing how pathway programs work at Monash College.

During the meeting, both parties explored the possibility of developing academic pathway programs with multiple exit points, beginning with a graduate certificate that could lead to a postgraduate qualification. This structure would allow students to start with a certificate and eventually progress toward a master’s degree. Chancellor Michael Tee encouraged the evaluation of UP Manila’s undergraduate offerings to identify complementary postgraduate programs that could align with Monash College’s academic tracks. It was also noted that through jointly awarded certificates, students may have the opportunity to transition into a Monash University master’s program.

Chancellor Tee further highlighted the increasing potential for student mobility through demand-driven scholarships, in line with the current direction of the Commission on Higher Education. “The new Chair of the Commission on Higher Education is pushing toward demand-based or demand-driven scholarships. So instead of waiting for calls for scholarship slots, institutions can apply directly to CHED. If we can say that we have a partnership and that these are the mobility access requirements of our students, then it can be done,” he said.

Also present in the meeting were Monash College Director of Marketing Ms. Tram Nguyen, and OIL Senior Office Assistants Ms. Abegail G. Lim and Mr. Jerico Tapia.

UP Manila has an ongoing partnership with Monash University to establish the National Forensics Institute and introduce a master’s program in Forensic Medicine.

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