“If we're able to create an ecosystem where [students] can learn, they can try, they might fail but because of the ecosystem they won't fail as much, and they can get back up again and try again,” said Senator Paolo Benigno 'Bam' Aquino IV who was speaking before 120 participants from 20 countries in ASEAN, South and East Asia who are in the country create a model curriculum on entrepreneurship education for these regions.
He was the keynote speaker on the last day of the 6th UNESCO-APEID Meeting on Entrepreneurship Education which was held from Oct. 23-24 in Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas and October 25 at the Miriam College-Henry Sy, Sr. Innovation Center.
Citing the Youth Entrepreneurship Act or RA 10679, he said that while one part of it is about the entrepreneurial curriculum, another is also about putting together an ecosystem where young students, who, even without a loan from any company or a collateral, can have an opportunity to try and start out a business. The act integrates entrepreneurial training starting in the basic education to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset among the youth.
Hopefully, that ecosystem, the support centers, the Negosyo Centers, different agencies, institutions both private and public, can support our students and our countrymen who want to get into entrepreneurship. We want [students] to come across an ecosystem that can help them move their theory into practice,” he said.
Sen. Bam’s message echoed some of the key takeaways of the Meeting which sets the foundation for creation a new model curriculum for the regions. Among these are strengthening the entrepreneurship education ecosystem, collaboration, mainstreaming women and social entrepreneurship education as a strategic approach to development, and making space for failure for the cause of learning.
In designing the new curriculum content on Entrepreneurship education, the participating countries have also placed strong emphasis on including poverty and other social issues, reiteration of values, leadership, good governance, and mindfulness, among others.
Dr. Patricia B. Licuanan, Chair of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and Ramon Lopez, Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry, were the keynote speakers on the first and second day of the event, respectively.
The Meeting, which successfully ended last October 25, brought together government representatives, educators, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship advocates, and policy makers who are working around the theme “Designing a Relevant and Innovative Entrepreneurship Education: Towards Mutual Recognition of Qualification in ASEAN, East and South Asia.”
At the end of the meeting, participants are expected to present their resolutions and action plans, and align them with national and global goals of the regions to achieve competitiveness and future sustainability.
The Philippines is the 2017 host country represented by Miriam College - UNESCO EE Net Philippine Chapter with the support of UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education in Bangkok, Thailand, and CHED.
The Asia Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development (APEID) is a program of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education in Bangkok, Thailand. It was established as an inter-country co-operation program serving 47 Member States in the Asia-Pacific region.
The event was spearheaded by the College of Business. Entrepreneurship, and Accountancy led by Dr. Antonio Lopez with the chairs and faculty under the College heading the different committees. They are Prof. Maria Luisa Gatchalian, Dr. Elaine Boquiren, Mildred Sevilla, Allan Tang, and Sheila Dingcong. Offices who helped make the event possible were the Marketing and Communications Office led by Romualdo Romualdo, Institutional Partnership and Programs Office led by Dr. Gail Reyes Galang, Culinary Students led by Jan Viray, Society of Junior Entrepreneurship student team, Ms. Benny Runas and Faye Yoingco, Administrative Services Division led by Agustin Alvarez and the President’s Office.
Lending support to the event were partner institutions 3M and One Meralco Foundation-MERALCO Philippines with support agencies M2Comm, Office of the Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Entrepreneurship Educators Association, (ENEDA) of the Philippines, SERDEF, CENGAGE, and CCA Manila.