(APR. 1) – An Iskolar ng Bayan with a global perspective is what the Office of International Linkages Diliman (OIL-D) aims for UP Diliman (UPD) students to become.  To encourage more students to study abroad, OIL-D held “UPD Study Abroad Week 2019: Engaging UPD and the World” from Mar. 26 to 29 at the School of Statistics.

The 4-day event featured information booths and talks on study abroad opportunities.  Partner institutions for the event were Hokkaido University, Japan, Japan Information & Culture Center, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Manila, Education USA, Fulbright Philippines, Embassy of the Czech Republic in the Philippines, Campus France, DAAD-German Academic Exchange Services, Embassy of Spain in Manila, IE University, Spain, Universidad Catolica de Murcia, Spain and UP Office of International Linkages (OIL). 

In her message at the event’s launch, OIL-D Director Imee S. Martinez said an Isko/Iska who is both naturally competitive and a global citizen has “more tolerance with other culture, nationalities and belief systems that are different from yours.”  

In addition Martinez said, “Through the study abroad program, we want you to develop a more concrete sense of nationalism because when you go outside, then you will be able to compare yourself with others.  You will know what makes you Filipino.” 

The event’s first day saw talks of partner exhibitors including that of OIL Director Gil S. Jacinto who discussed the funding programs for internationalization-related activities. 

Jacinto encouraged the students present at the Talk to “seriously think about spending some time abroad in your education,” because with the country’s free education at all levels, opportunities are rife.  

“We have a law that is free tuition.  Even if you are not from a well-off family, that is fine because we have some support provided by the university,” he said.  

Among these support programs are MOVE UP (University of the Philippines Mobility for Vigor and Excellence) and COOPERATE (Continuous Operational and Outcomes-based Partnership for Excellence in Research and Academic Training Enhancement).  

From the OIL website, (https://oil.up.edu.ph/) MOVE UP is a “financial support for junior or senior undergraduate students with high scholastic average, with full or partial support [based on socialized tuition system] for one semester enrollment in a foreign university as exchange student,” while COOPERATE “is a financial support for graduate students at early thesis or dissertation or proposal stage, needing to undertake research/creative work at a foreign university.”

The UPD Study Abroad Week also saw the official launch of the Hokkaido University Nook website on Mar. 27.  

To know more about the UPD study abroad program, visit OIL-D at http://international.upd.edu.ph – Mariamme D. Jadloc, images by Leonardo A. Reyes