Teachers from rural Mongolia will travel to the Philippines for training to enhance their English language skills, as part of several agreements reached during a recent bilateral meeting between the two nations' top diplomats. Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, during his visit, engaged with Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene, Deputy Prime Minister Sainbuyan Amarsaikhan, and Foreign Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh.
Manalo and his Mongolian counterpart discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations and enhance cooperation across various sectors, including education, culture, and health. This visit is significant as it represents the first official bilateral trip by the Philippines' top diplomat to Mongolia. Additionally, it is part of a year-long series of events celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.
According to the DFA and the state-run Mongolian National News Agency, the Philippines and Mongolia will cooperate in training English language teachers for universities and secondary education schools in Mongolia's rural areas. The two countries have also agreed to explore teacher exchange programs. "Manalo responded positively to Mongolia’s requests for the Philippines to provide assistance in the area of public health, English language training, and regional development policies", a DFA release said.
The Mongolian population generally has low English language proficiency, and according to a report by The Diplomat, schools outside Ulaanbaatar are experiencing a shortage of English teachers. Unlike the Philippines, English is not one of Mongolia's official languages. Additionally, the two countries have agreed to draft legal documents in the future to encourage more Filipino workers to pursue employment in Mongolia's education, tourism, and services sectors, among others.
Officials from both countries also signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the DFA and the Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "which commits both sides to bilateral cooperation and coordination on bilateral and international issues of common concern", the DFA stated. The two parties also signed a memorandum of understanding between the Philippine Sports Commission and the Mongolian Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Youth on sports cooperation.
"Mongolia sought to expand cooperation with the Philippines' sports sector as the country has achieved high success in sports competitions in the Southeast Asian region, particularly in basketball and boxing", as reported. Mongolia aims to develop cooperation in discovering and developing sports talents at a young age, the report added.
