International students have started arriving at QUT for the 2023 uni year, including a group of Filipino teachers who are part of the biggest postgraduate cohort sent to an Australian university by the Philippines Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
DOST is sending 28 secondary school teachers to study at QUT this year from its Philippine Science High School System – a network of leading science high schools in the Asia Pacific region that aims to equip students with the skills to become globally competitive Filipino scientists.
They will complete postgraduate degrees at the QUT Kelvin Grove campus in inner Brisbane with the Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice.
DOST also plans to send more scholars to QUT next year across a broad range of faculties.
This week, a delegation of officials from the Philippines department visited Brisbane to check out the university’s faculties first-hand and the student accommodation where their teachers are living.
Their five-day program also included field trips to the QUT Samford Ecological Research Facility and Banyo Pilot Plant, and learning about QUT research in areas including clean energy, air quality, robotics, and entrepreneurship.
“The delegation’s visit was mainly to undertake a benchmarking of QUT’s infrastructure in STEM research and education, as well as explore QUT’s research strengths,” said Nelson Salangsang, who is Director of the International Projects Unit at QUT.
“They also wanted to see how their scholars are settling in at QUT.”
The Head of the QUT School of Teacher Education and Leadership, Professor Dann Mallet, said the Filipino teachers would be focusing on STEM education teaching and research, and furthering their expertise through their QUT courses.
“We have 12 scholars undertaking the Doctor of Education degree and doing research projects directly relevant to the Philippine Science High School system,” he said.
“We also have 16 scholars who will complete the Master of Education degree, with a focus on the STEM Education study area, which is led by Associate Professor Vinesh Chandra – a STEM and global education specialist in our School of Teacher Education and Leadership.
“Most of the students are staying here in Kelvin Grove village, with many sharing accommodation. I understand they are settling in well, and already keen to venture out to some local cultural hotspots and to find some warm clothes for winter!”
DOST Secretary Dr Renato Solidum praised QUT’s commercialisation, research development and industry engagement for STEM.
“QUT is already doing exactly what I have been envisioning for the Philippines,” he said.
Professor Mallet said QUT’s education degrees were “real world” focussed and combined theoretical grounding with the latest classroom practices.
“The STEM Education program advocates for an integrated approach to STEM that is highly contextualised and relevant to the classrooms and schools of the students we work with, rather than a ‘one size fits all’ model of STEM,” he said.
Professor Mallet and Mr Salangsang have been working with Dr Solidum and Science Education Institute (Philippines) Director Dr Josette T. Biyo to ensure a smooth transition for the Filipino students.
“We have established a mentoring framework to ensure the scholars have mentoring support from their home institutions, in addition to the mentoring and supervision provided at QUT,” Mr Salangsang said.
He said the university was also grateful to Australia’s Ambassador to the Philippines, HK Yu, whose office had helped with this week’s DOST delegation visit to Australia.
The relationship between QUT and DOST started in 2008 through the Australian Government-funded Australian Leadership Awards Fellowships Program, when QUT organised a capacity building program for DOST officials on trade related intellectual property rights.
QUT has 86 students from the Philippines enrolled across the university this year, and an active Filipino Students Association.
Pictured at top: Visiting Filipino teachers with (centre, left to right) QUT’s Nelson Salangsang (Director of the International Projects Unit), Dr Charisse Farr (senior lecturer in secondary maths education) and Professor Dann Mallet (Head of QUT School of Teacher Education and Leadership), and delegation members including DOST Secretary Dr Renato Solidum and Science Education Institute (Philippines) Director Dr Josette T. Biyo.
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