A Framework for 21st Century Teaching and Research in Public Higher

Education
Fiorello B. Abenes, Ph.D.
Faculty and Institutional Development Manager, USAID Stride

Abstract
Developing a comprehensive framework for 21st century learning requires more
than just identifying specific skills, content knowledge, expertise and literacies. The
K to 12 program, implemented by the Philippine Department of Education starting
in 2016, seeks to achieve mastery of key subjects and themes including world
languages, arts, mathematics, economics, science, geography, history,
government and civics. But what and how about higher education? What
adjustments should higher education make to become purveyors of 21 st century
teaching and learning and accommodate these more mature, more highly
educated high school students entering their Universities starting in 2018? In
addition to revamping Baccalaureate and Graduate level curricula, what systems
must be created to help students and faculty master the multidimensional requirements of 21st Century learning and teaching? USAID STRIDE
offers innovative programs, including direct industry engagement, manpower
development, and university governance that can capacitate Universities tackle
the challenges of 21st Century teaching and learning. However, one often wonders
if these programs would be more effective if it is delivered under a different
structure of public higher education in the Philippines. Three concrete
recommendations are discussed in this paper.

Fiorello B. Abenes, PhD

Faculty and Institutional Development Manager, USAID STRIDE
Professor Emeritus, CalPoly Pomona University, CA 91768
Former US Fulbright Fellow and DOST Balik-Scientist
Dr. Fiorello Abenes is a professional animal scientist, teacher, scholar, consultant and
entrepreneur with over 40 years of diversified work experience in private industry,
agricultural extension, university teaching, and research in the United States, Canada and
the Philippines. He trained in the areas of Animal Industries, Animal Breeding, Nutrition
and Physiology at the University of Connecticut. In the Philippines, he worked for the UNFAO Dairy Training and Research Institute at the University of the Philippines (Los Banos).
In Canada, he worked for Cargill Grain as Reproductive Physiologist, Alberta Agriculture as
Regional Swine Specialist, and Olds College as Animal Science Professor. He joined the

faculty of California State Polytechnic University Pomona in

1987 and was awarded early tenure and jump promotion to
full professor in 1991.
He was a 2008, 2010 and 2013 DOST Balik-Scientist
awardee, attached to the Philippine Carabao Center as
Visiting Scientist, at the Central Luzon State University as
Visiting Professor and at Mariano Marcos State University as
Adjunct Professor and Research Scientist. In 2009, despite
the fact that he is not an Engineer, he was appointed
Engineering Research and Development for Technology
(ERDT) Fellow at the University of the Philippines. He was granted U.S. Fulbright
Fellowships in 2008 and 2014. His research at MMSU and CLSU focused on the production
of ethanol from biomass. Dr. Abenes joined USAID STRIDE as Faculty and Institutional
Development Manager in June, 2015.

A Philippine Framework for 21st Century Teaching and Research in Public Higher Education
Fiorello B. Abenes, Ph.D.

I welcome this opportunity to speak at this conference because the GOAL of the STRIDE
program Science Technology Research and Innovation for Development is to strengthen
the science, technology, research and innovation capacity in Philippine higher education.
With the focus of this conference on developing Research Capabilities in Philippine
Universities, I do not think I can find a better pulpit to expound some ideas on how the
Philippines can stand shoulder to shoulder with other ASEAN neighbors - Indonesia,
Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and
Vietnam in the field of education and research.
We at STRIDE had the audacity to think we can spur economic growth in the Philippines.
We think we can do this by (1) Assisting Universities in developing supportive
administrative, financial and managerial climate such that Science, Technology and
Innovation will prosper and thrive. (2) Capacitating Philippine Universities to become adept
at Science, Technology and Innovation, and (3) Engaging Industry and Universities to work
together in both research and teaching. We work with Universities in developing
mechanisms whereby Universities can nurture talent within their borders. We support
research collaborations between local Universities and local industries. We also fund
research that entails collaboration between US Universities and Philippine Universities. We
offer various scholarships to US Universities in both the Masteral Program as well as PhD
dissertation and Postdoctoral Scholarships. The specifics of these programs are all on our
website: stride.org.ph and I urge you to please visit it and avail of all that we offer. I think
we do all that we do relatively well; however, as a life-long teacher-scholar, I often wonder
if we could deliver our programs more effectively if there is a different framework of Public
Philippine Higher Education system that we can work with. So for the purpose of this

paper, let me speak to the subject at hand: What should be the Framework for the 21 st
Century Teaching, Research and Learning in the Philippines.
The K to12 Program will begin implementation in less than a year. This is a Tsunami-like,
life-changer to all Filipinos: students who now have to devote 2 more years of high school
before entering college; parents who have to spend more money for their childrens
education; high school teachers who must now prepare for more advanced instruction;
college and university instructors and professors who will be on forced leave for the next 2
to 4 years ; - they will be the same University professionals who will have to deal with, at
least theoretically, better prepared students starting 2018.
At this point we can all look at this scenario as a problem of incalculable magnitude: we
can join protests, file for restraining orders to stop its implementation - OR we can look
at it as an OPPORTUNITY.
It is an opportunity for Higher Education to take a more serious look at what University
Education should be post K to 12. To say that the effect of the K to 12 is simply to reduce
the number of General Education units required to complete a college degree and
Universities need only to add more units to supplant them, would be a great disservice to
all that have been affected by the K to 12 program. Universities and CHED specially,
should instead use this 2 to 4 year window as the opportunity for serious discernment and
make an equally significant life, and career-changing decisions to reform higher education
in the Philippines.

Unfortunately, within the higher educational system of the Philippines today, we can
barely count in one hand those schools that are truly world class. One of my friends in the
academe, describes the higher educational system of the Philippines as Private colleges
and universities numbering in the thousands that are owned by big business for profit, and
SUC's (State Universities and Colleges) numbering in the hundreds that are controlled by
politicians for what else? To advance their own Political agenda. I doubt if there is a single
President of a Public University today that had not been anointed by the Governor of the
Province where the University is located. Please note, I said ANNOINTED, not appointed.
Even so, this is not the best scenario for developing world-class Public Universities, if I may
say so.
For Higher Education Institutions, there needs to be a Framework, a Master Plan that
transcends the challenges of globalization in education and meet the needs of 21 st century
teaching, research and learning. What we need, is a Framework for Higher Education,
especially for State Universities and Colleges that transcends the challenges of
globalization in education, one that can make us truly competitive with our ASEAN
neighbors. Let me now share with you specific recommendations on how we can do this.
SEGMENTATION OF PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION
First, we need a segmentation of Public Higher Education: segmentation in FUNCTIONS,
LOCATIONS, and STUDENT uptake.

We need Function Segmentation: Universities that would, but only if they could, offer:
Baccalaureate to PhD; Baccalaureate to Masters; Technical Education and Associate
Degrees.
We also need Location Segmentation: Regional, Provincial and Local.
Lastly, we also need Segmentation in student Uptake.
There must be a University of the Philippines System that will have Diliman-type campuses
in all Regions of the Philippines. There are currently 17 Regions in the Philippines so there
will be 17 University of the Philippine campuses offering a comprehensive K to PhD
programs. The K to 12 are laboratory schools including magnet high schools for the arts
and sciences. Since there are really only two UP campuses that are truly comprehensive,
some of the best performing State Universities will be converted to become part of the UP
System. For example, MSU-IIT can become The UP Northern Mindanao (Region X).
There must be a Philippine State University System, where universities under this system
are located at each and every province. There are 81 Provinces hence there will be 81
Philippine State Universities. Philippine State University Iloilo; Philippine State University
Nueva Ecija; Philippine State University Iloilo with main campus in Iloilo City, or Philippine
State University Capiz with the main campus in Roxas City, etc. The Philippine State
Universities will offer K to Masteral degrees only. The K to 12 being. schools with
specialized programs also in arts and sciences.
And then there will be a Philippine Community Colleges System located in every one of
the 144 Cities in the Philippines. So there can be an Iloilo Community College; Cabanatuan
Community College, Makati Community College. These community colleges will host
TESDA and offer vocational courses that are geared towards employment in local
industries. There can be as many Community Colleges as the Government and politicians
can bear. Their clientele is anybody who has a desire to learn from literacy, to
citizenship, to cooking classes, massage therapy, etc. Except for the college courses, there
should not be any prior educational qualifications required. For University-bound students,
Community Colleges will also serve as the bridge for underprepared students to the 4-year
universities and colleges.
We need 242 Public Universities and Community colleges to do this; according to the
CHED website, there are Six hundred fifty six (656) public HEIs. We already have more
than we need!
The Student Segmentation Plan would place all college-bound high school graduates into
three categories, and to make it possible for a student to move from the bottom category
to the top.

The top 12.5% of high school graduates could attend the University of the
Philippines System
The top 33.3% could attend one of the Philippine State Universities, and

Everyone else could go to one of the Philippine Community Colleges.

For mobility, community college graduates will have the opportunity to transfer to one of
the UPs or PSUs to finish their bachelors degree, if their grades are good enough, 2.5 or
better.
You might ask at this point. Hmmm, this is good: Is this original thinking? The answer is
NO. This is the same model of the California Master Plan for Higher Education that has
been in place since 1960, 55 years ago and still in place today. It is the most widely
praised educational system in the world!
If we could just get this structure right in the Philippines, the reforms needed in the best
WAY teaching, research and learning could take place will fall into place.
RESTRUCTURING PUBLIC UNIVERSITY CAREER TRACKS
Among the ASEAN countries, sadly, the Philippines lag in research outputs and is in the
lower rungs of the ladder. There is also a fix to this if we institutionalize university
professional career tracks.
One of the most common comments I hear why the Philippines lag in research outputs is
the lack of manpower of Researchers. Questions have been raised about whether the lack
of a strong research culture in Philippine Universities, leaves students ill prepared for the
most demanding aspects of science and technology innovation. Faculty who can do
research complain, they do not have enough time when saddled with course loads and
cannot be downloaded even when they do funded research. Their course loads are the
same as those who just teach.
This problem can be solved by creating two tracks of faculty employment: One, a TENURE
TRACK SYSTEM wherein faculty are given 6 years to prove themselves capable of
scholarly work while teaching. At the end of 6 years, they will be awarded Tenure or
permanent appointment. Track 2, is LECTURESHIPS. This track is for those who only wish
to teach; they will be on contract and will never achieve tenure. Because all they will be
doing is Teach, they can absorb the deloaded teaching units of those in a tenure track
position they can be made to teach as many as 24 units a semester or more. Why,
because they can! If they only have one or two preparations one for MWF classes and
another for TTH classes, it is not so onerous.
RESTRUCTURING FINANCIAL AID AND SCHOLARSHIPS IN GRADUATE EDUCATION
The lack of researchers can also be addressed by eliminating scholarships in graduate
school and converting them to Graduate Assistantships. In the US, scholarships are rare.
Most graduate students are working half-time, 4 hours a day, as Graduate Assistants.
DOST awards graduate scholarships under the Accelerated Science and Technology Human
Resource Development Program (ASTHRDP) and Engineering Research and Development
for Technology (ERDT) Program. In 2014, the program supported a total of 1,198 MS and
235 PhD scholars monitored by SEI through the National Science Consortium (NSC) and

DOST Councils such as PCAARRD, PCHRD and PCIEERD. The ERDT program supported a
total of 657 MS and 129 PhD scholars. That is a total of 2,219 researchers that can be
tapped for Research. Unfortunately, they are not expected to work, just take classes until
they are ready to conduct their thesis or dissertations. If each one can be assigned to the
most unproductive professors at the University, we can easily have an additional 4,428
researchers.
This will happen because what else would an unproductive professor do with a research
employee around? He will have to do research along with his or her student! If I am the
President of the UP system I will just tell DOST, sorry, we will no longer accept scholars,
but you can give us money for graduate assistantships and we will produce better
graduates who are well trained in both theory and practice of their disciplines!
SUMMARY
What would it take to make these happen? A clearly segmented Higher Educational
System coupled with a segmented student admission system. Two tracks of academic
careers a Tenure track and a Lecturership track. A new paradigm in training graduate
students as Graduate Assistants instead of Scholars.
The Commission for Higher Education, Presidents of State Universities, Politicians and even
students have the luxury of mulling these ideas for the next two years. It is an
unprecedented opportunity to discern and to change. I hope that we can muster the
courage to make a seismic change that is as great and meaningful as the change we did
for the K to 12 program.
I have faith that we can do this. I have faith in the indomitable spirit of Filipinos to survive,
and survive we must in the face of Globalization and the ASEAN integration. My
experience working with fellow Filipinos in the US is completely opposite to what I am
witness among my colleagues in the academia. Abroad, we are some of the most
productive, most intelligent, most ambitious. When we return to our own country, we seem
to die in the vine. Perhaps because, as one once told me Living is hard in the Philippines
but LIFE itself is Easy. Even our paupers look better than the paupers in other countries.
Thank you, Maraming Salamat Po!