Dhaka, 30 May 2004 – The Philippines and Bangladesh plan to pursue cooperative endeavors in education as part of the commitment by the two countries to explore new areas for joint collaboration.

This is the result of the meeting held today by Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert with Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain at the Health Ministry building in the capital.

Bangladesh considers the Philippines to be a prospective partner in its efforts to improve the quality and training of its nurses and other allied medical personnel. It has conveyed its interest in establishing private university-to-university linkages with the Philippines in the fields of nursing and English language instruction.

“Cooperation in education would significantly enhance the friendly relations and goodwill between our two countries,” said the Secretary.
 
 “As a follow up to the visit of Bangladesh Foreign Minister Morshed Khan to Manila, the Philippines intends to send a study mission from the Commission of Higher Education (CHED) to Dhaka later this year to assess the needs of Bangladesh and focus on the possibility of conducting English language training programs for its teachers,” she added.

With one of the largest growing populations in the world, Bangladesh faces shortages in trained medical personnel who can provide the necessary medical services to its people. According to Minister Hossain, Bangladesh has only one college of nursing in Dhaka for students taking this course.

Secretary Albert said that the Philippines has a proven track record in training quality nurses, who have developed a world-class reputation in skills and dedication and whose services are in great demand in a number of countries abroad. Filipinos are also known for being effective hospital administrators.

“Allowing Bangladeshis to avail of the expertise of Philippine higher education institutions in the English instruction is a first step in our joint effort to assist them in this important field,” the Secretary said. END.