DUBAI: A group of four Filipino academicians have officially launched an institution for higher education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a move addressing issues about children of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the country, who had to part ways with their parents and be in the Philippines when it was finally time for college.
The opening of Southville International School and Colleges in Ras Al Khaimah (Southville-RAK), an emirate north of Dubai, is also seen to be a welcome break for college undergrad OFWs planning to complete the required units and obtain diplomas.
Enrollment and reservation have begun. The campus is scheduled to open in the fall of next year, or around September.
‘Opportunity to shine’
Ambassador Hjayceelyn Aurora Quintana, head of the Philippine missions in the UAE, who graced the event held Dec. 20 at Dusit Thani Hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road, commended the effort, saying it provides opportunities for more Filipinos to shine.
“I am very happy,” the ambassador said. “This is the time for us to shine again and wave our flag,” she added.
Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes and wife, Dr. Yasmin Balajadia Cortes, also graced the event.
12,000 children of OFWs
There is a growing number of children of OFWs staying with their parents in UAE. Most of these kids go home to the Philippines after finishing K-12 to pursue college, where tuition is relatively less expensive.
Prior to the pandemic, there were approximately 12,000 children of OFWs spread across the eight Filipino schools in the UAE which are located in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, officials said. There are also an undetermined number of Filipino children enrolled in international schools in the UAE.
Also prior to the Covid pandemic, there were some 750,000 OFWs in the UAE, according to official estimates. Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes said they have been able to send home over 3,500 OFWs from June to December through the mass repatriation program of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
The Philippine Consulate General was officiating around 1,200 OFW marriages a year – or 25 each week – before mass gatherings were banned due to the coronavirus.
Tuition comparisons
Meantime, yearly college tuition in the UAE range from AED35,000 to AED70,000 dirhams, according to Dr. Rex Venard Bacarra, one of Southville-RAK’s founder, who also is its academic head and director for administrative services.
Average annual tuition in the Philippines is at approximately P150,000 or some AED11,500.
Tuition at Southville-RAK is at AED550 dirhams per unit or AED25,000 per academic year, said Bacarra.
According to Francis Errol Medina, one of the four academicians, there were around 700 K-12 Filipino graduates across the UAE a few years back. “Ninety-five percent went home for college. These graduates were those who enrolled in Filipino schools. Not included in this number were those who studied in other schools (also attended by other nationalities),” said Medina, who holds an MBA from the University of Strathclyde-Glasgow UK’s campus in the UAE, at a presentation during the official launch.
Undergrads
Undergrad OFWs may also enroll at Southville-RAK to continue college following a syllabus assessment of units taken in their previous schools to determine pending loads.
Opening a Philippine college campus in the UAE took four years, according to Dr. Rommel Pilapil Sergio, also one of those behind the Southville-RAK project.
“We have been declined multiple times (by other institutions and colleges in the Philippines). But we never ceased,” said Sergio, who likewise holds two doctorates, one of which is in management that he received from Liverpool University in the UK.
Another academician, who worked for the Southville-RAK project is Dr. Benigno Lebig, who holds a doctorate in Strategy and International Business also from King’s College London.
All four academicians have been bestowed the Dakilang Bayani Award. Sergio was also recipient of the 2016 Pamana ng Pilipino (Philippine Heritage) Presidential Award; he was associate professor and chair of the Human Resource Management Programme at the Canadian University Dubai and is currently with the Abu Dhabi School of Management. He was from De La Salle University (DLSU) where he has a doctorate in Psychology.
Bacarra, who holds two doctorate degrees, one of which is in Management Research from King’s College London in the United Kingdom, was also from DLSU, where he obtained his Doctorate in Philosophy. Prior to his current post, Bacarra was professor of Philosophy and The Humanities at The American College of Dubai.
Courses and accreditations
Meantime among courses offered are Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Accountancy, Marketing Management, Financial Management, BSBA in Entrepreneurship, and in Human Resources; and a Master’s in Business Administration.
Classes may be held online, face-to-face or blended.
As RAK is some two hours away from Dubai by car or bus, the school can arrange transportation, even a hostel, with a third party provider.
Southville International School and Colleges (SISC) is a private, non-sectarian school based in Metro Manila. It is ISO 9001-2015 certified and accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC) is a world-renowned accrediting association and one of the six regional accrediting agencies in the United States.
The school also welcomes other nationalities.
Main photo caption: Ambassador Hjayceelyn Aurora Quintana, head of the Philippine missions in the UAE, receives a plaque of appreciation from Dr. Rommel Pilapil Sergio. With them from left are Francis Errol Medina, Dr. Rex Venard Bacarra and Dr. Benigno Lebig. (Photo by Jojo Dass)
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