International Teacher Education Conference 2014 1

International Teacher Education Conference 2014
Development Programs for the Internationalization of Teacher Education
Institutions in the Philippines
Marilyn U. Balagtas a Marla C. Papango b Zenaida Q. Reyes c Marilou M. Ubiña d*
a b c d Philippine Normal University, Taft Avenue, Manila, Philippines
Abstract
This paper proposes some development programs for the internationalization of ten (10) Teacher Education
Institutions (TEIs) in the Philippines that constitute the National Network of Normal Schools (3NS). The
internal stakeholders of these institutions served as the assessors of the internationalization level using a 5-pt
rubric, which highlights four (4) domains of Teacher Education and nine (9) dimensions of internationalization
of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The four domains are: 1) Knowledge Creation and Application; 2)
Quality and Excellence; 3) Culture of Sharing and Service; and 4) Growth, Efficiency, and Accountability. The
nine (9) dimensions of internationalization in Higher Education Institutions are: 1) Curriculum and Instruction;
2) Facilities and Support System; 3) Cooperation and Development Assistance; 4) Diversity of Income
Generation; 5) Research Collaboration; 6) International and Intercultural Understanding/Networking; 7)
Academic Standards and Quality; 8) Mobility and Exchanges for Students and Teachers; and 9) International
Students Recruitment. The proposed development programs are recommended for consideration by the
individual institutions sampled, the network that they belong, and all the other TEIs in the country for the
advancement of teacher education in the Philippines to merit the recognition by the global community.
Keywords: Assessment, Internationalization, Development Program
INTRODUCTION
In this era of fast changing technology, the world has shrunk into a global village where people mobility and
information generation have increased in unimaginable proportions. One nation reaches out to other countries
not only for political and economic reasons, but also for educational purposes. This kind of interaction among
nations particularly for educational purposes is referred to as internationalization in this paper. According to
Bernardo (2002), the educational goals of internationalization are related to assumptions of universal knowledge
and the need for collaborative international efforts and perspectives while its development goals are related to
the mission of developed countries to provide assistance and support to less developed countries in their efforts
at improving their capabilities in their Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
Internationalization of HEIs has been among the challenges of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
in the Philippines because of the collaboration and intercultural exchanges between and among HEIs in the
global village. The Philippine Normal University (PNU), is not excused in this challenge of internationalization
in HEIs. PNU, as the National Center for Teacher Education (NCTE), is mandated “to provide technical support
to the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) and to the Department of Education (DepEd) in their programs
and projects that chart policies and recommendation on teacher education, teacher training, teacher education
curricula, professional development for teachers and educational leaders in the country” (Republic Act No.
9647, Sec 3a, 2009). One area of concern to realize its mandate as the NCTE, is to lead pioneering projects on
teacher education in the Philippines through the National Network of Normal Schools (3NS), that it leads. PNU,
as the lead shepherd of 3NS sets the over-all directions of the network with the other nine (9) member
institutions (Defensor, 2013). This network has then become an arm of CHED for its projects that aimed at
improving the quality of programs, operations and services of TEIs in the country. Given PNU’s commitment of
producing excellent teachers for a better world and its vision to be a nationally responsive Teacher Education
University and an internationally recognized leader in Teacher Education, it has set five strategies for
internationalization, such as: 1) to develop an internationalization program that will increase the number and
expand diversity of foreign students and faculty; 2) develop an international relations plan to ensure a strategic
E-mail address: balagtas.mu@pnu.edu.ph papango.mc@pnu.edu.ph reyes.zq@pnu.edu.ph ubina.mm@pnu.edu.ph
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