The Philippines has an estimated population of 85.2 million people, 39 per cent of whom are below 35 years old. The national population growth rate is at 2.05 per cent. While there is a huge gap between the socio-economic classes, with 40 per cent of the population below the poverty line, our most current market research suggests that there is more than 21,000 students in the Philippines with both the intention and the financial capability to study overseas.
The Philippines GDP for the second quarter of 2005 is 4.8 per cent slowing down from last year 6.5 per cent owing to the increase in oil prices and the current political situation in the country. 39 per cent of the population resides in Metro Manila and the two most populated outlying regions, and Metro Manila registers the highest level of family income in the country. The most affluent families in the provinces would send their children to Manila for both High School and University education.
The country is dependent on low wage employment in agriculture, but has become more dependent on the electronics industry, which has expanded greatly over the last decade. Most of the products of the electronics industry are shipped outside Asia, rather than within it, which is why the Philippines' exports grew very strongly in spite of the Asian financial crisis. Its major trading partners are the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Japan and many other European countries.
A large part of the national revenue is derived from the remittances from overseas workers. Filipinos remain in demand in the international labour market because of their ability to speak English. In the United Kingdom, there is an estimated 45,000 Filipino nurses working in hospitals, and the number is expected to increase in the coming years. An estimated eight million Filipinos work overseas. The national currency is the Peso. Currently 1 GBP is equivalent to 98 Philippine Pesos (PHP).
Almost half of the population reside in the National Capital Region (NCR), also called Metro Manila, and its outlying provinces. It is one of Asia's largest cities and is at the heart of the commercial, industrial and political life of the country. Those with the highest average family income live in Metro Manila. The concentration of the population in and around NCR gives British Council Philippines in Manila a great opportunity to reach millions of people, because of its central location.
The Philippines has over 100 ethno-linguistic groups speaking at least 70 languages. Tagalog and English are the official languages of the Philippines. Tagalog is related to Malay and is the basis of the National Language, Filipino. Approximately fifty-five per cent of the population speak Filipino either as a first or second language. English is the main medium of communication in business and higher education. Spanish now tends to be confined to a small elite of Spanish descent.
The Philippines is considered part of the English speaking-world. The high number of English speakers has prompted the Department of Tourism to come up with an advertising campaign that claims the country has more English speakers than England. The medium of instruction in most universities remain to be English. However, in the past years, there have been discussions regarding the declining proficiency in English.
There has been no official study undertaken as yet on how significant this decrease is, but many people believe that the skill level has been declining. Evidence of this has been seen in call centres where it is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit new people who speak English well. The government has begun to grow cold in the almost decade-long plan of “Filipinising Education.” A few years ago, the President advocated the more extensive use of English in educational institutions.
The Philippines is a peaceful country and maintains a democratic, presidential form of government, modeled on that of the United States. While there are very isolated terrorist activities, mainly from secessionists, from the far south of the country, they pose very little threat to the national security. Following the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US, the Philippines joined the so-called coalition of the willing. This comes as no surprise, given the close affiliation between the Philippines and the United States politically, economically and socially.
The Philippine educational system is based on the American Model. Children who reach six years old are required to attend six years of elementary education (Grades one to six). Children then proceed to four years of secondary school education, or high school at age 13 (Year one to four). Thus the total number of years of basic education is ten years, with most of the students graduating at age 16. This comparatively early graduation at age 16 opens up some opportunities for institutions offering pre-university courses. Many private high schools now offer 11 years of basic education, thus graduating at age 17. The Philippine market for international education is well established and stable. However, the biggest player in overseas education remains to be the United States, with fifty-nine per cent of the market share.
The United States remains to be the biggest competitor owning close to 50 per cent of the international student market. Australia is a close rival with 23 per cent and the UK with a close 20 per cent of the market. IDP operates an office in Metro Manila and is active both in student recruitment and in exam services, particularly the administration of IELTS. The Canadian Trade Commission and the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and EduFrance also operate desks within their respective embassies, however their numbers show that they are not a threat at the moment.
There are only a few education agents operating in the country, with one or two more expected to open within next year. While the agents are generally reputable, our recent market research suggests that most students get their information about overseas study opportunities mainly from family and friends who studied abroad. The internet also is a major source of information.
320 student visas were issues in 2005 compared to only 523 in 2004. Visa refusal rates however remain almost constant at approximately 50 per cent.
Health-related courses, such as medicine, dentistry and nursing, have been receiving a lot of interest, followed by business programs, particularly in the fields of business management and marketing. Information Technology is also of significant interest to Filipino students. Engineering, arts, architecture, law, environmental studies, hospitality and tourism courses are among the various programs that are traditionally in demand by Filipinos interested in overseas education.
Data from last year’s UK Education Exhibition shows the following trends:
- 75 per cent of enquirers are self-funded students
- 32 per cent are interested in postgraduate degrees (masters or doctorate degrees)
- 31 per cent are interested in undergraduate degrees or certificates and diplomas
- seven per cent are interested in doctorate degrees
- eight per cent are interested in short courses
- 14 per cent are interested in Business and Management Courses
- Popular enquiries include Engineering and technology, Education and teacher training, Social sciences and Humanities, Medical and health sciences, Communication and Information Science Courses, Languages and literature, Fine and applied arts and Law.
The growing number of Filipino nurses in the UK seems to have an effect on the number of students interested in UK education. There is an estimated 45,000 Filipino nurses in the UK, and with Filipino's strong sense of family ties, these nurses encourage and are even willing to fund their relatives' education in the UK. While there is no official data yet this, our local education counseling service are receiving increasing numbers of enquiries about UK education, simply because a relative works as a nurse in the UK.
The trend in local institutions offering distance learning and twinning programs from UK institutions has been favourably welcomed by the market. A number of institutions have agreements with selected UK universities and seek to address the credit transfer and cost issues students have.
The British Council Philippines recently commissioned some market research on Filipino International Students. The Philippine Survey and Research Centre, the local counterpart of Research International conducted the study and the results were released in June 2005. Its main aim was to gather information about how best to attract more students to the UK.
The study was done in three phases: a quantitative study of students and their parents, a qualitative study of students and their parents, a qualitative study of competitor agencies.
The research obtained data on:
- Knowledge on overseas education
- Education systems of other countries
- Marketing activities carried out by various agencies/ countries
- Perceptions of UK Education
- Factors considered for choice of country, school and course
- Decision makers on which country to go to, which school to study and which course to take
- Sources of information on overseas education
- Profile and lifestyle of students who want to study abroad and parents who plan to send their children abroad
This highly informative report gives a valuable insight into how to customise your marketing efforts for the Philippine setting. The report also provides the latest factual information as to the size of the market, the profile of prospective students and furthermore, insights on how to attract them to study in the UK. This is the first piece of investigative research that looks into motivations for studying overseas and its detailed findings will help you inform your marketing and/or promotions plan to target the Filipino international student. For more information on the report please contact: britishcouncil@britishcouncil.org.ph
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