AGREEMENT OF COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, CULTURE AND SPORT O…

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority of the Republic of the Philippines (TESDA), the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport of the Kingdom of Spain (the Ministry), the Cervantes Institute (IC), the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID)

The Signatories consent to sign this Administrative Agreement, within the frame of the Agreement on Culture, Sports and Education between the Kingdom of Spain and the Republic of the Philippines, signed in Madrid on December 3, 2007, and within the framework of the Plans for the reintroduction of Spanish teaching in the Philippines based on the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport of the Kingdom of Spain, the Cervantes Institute and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development and the Department of Education of the Republic of the Philippines, signed in Manila on the 23rd of October 2012.

Willing to continue in the strengthening of the friendship, mutual understanding and shared values of both countries;

With the resolve that these links result in cooperation instruments to invigorate their relations;

Recognizing that culture, education and information are essential for development;

Conscious of the historic presence of the Spanish language and culture in the Republic of the Philippines, and of its present status as a voluntary and optional promotion language, as stated in the 1987 Constitution, the presidential recommendation issued in 2007 for the teaching of the Spanish language, and the implementation of the special program in foreign language (Spanish) in public schools by the Department of Education of the Republic of the Philippines;

Conscious of the global importance of the Spanish Language for the technical education, skills and vocational advancement of the Philippine people, determine the following:

1.- GENERAL PRINCIPLES

TESDA, The Ministry, the IC and AECID state the non-binding nature of this Agreement of Collaboration, and also state that it is subject to the budgetary availability of funds of the signatories. They also declare that the main objectives of the cooperation programs to be furthered and developed by this Agreement will be the implementation of the teaching and the promotion of the Spanish language and culture in TESDA programs throughout its educational centers of the Republic of the Philippines, in order to:    
 

2.- THE SPANISH INSTITUTIONS PROPOSE

Directly related to the needs derived from the introduction and expansion of Spanish as a foreign language of instruction in TESDA education in the Philippines, the Spanish institutions mentioned in this document, in collaboration and coordination with TESDA, propose to implement the following:

2.1.- THE MINISTRY PROPOSES

2.1.1.- To provide support from the Spanish Embassy in the Philippines’ Education Office by means of an Education Advisor coordinating the program(s).

2.1.2.- Providing technical assistance to TESDA in designing and developing the Spanish language curriculum and building teaching capacity and methodology to implement this curriculum.

2.1.3.- Organizing, in collaboration with TESDA, training activities for teachers of Spanish and school heads in the Philippines that may be delivered by face-to-face and through distance teaching.

2.1.4.- Providing grants for TESDA teachers from the Philippines to attend intensive or summer training and professional development courses organized by Spanish institutions.

2.1.5.- Promoting education exchange programs between Spanish and Philippine teaching and learning centers.

2.2.- AECID PROPOSES

2.2.1.- Financing the design of a curriculum, including the development of instructional resources for the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language at TESDA centers.

2.2.2.- Providing bibliographic resources for TESDA centers and educational institutions.

2.2.3.- Collaborate within its possibilities in the acquisition of resources in the field of information and international communication technologies on the learning of languages, especially those published in the IC Curricular Plan as supplement to what the Department itself may already be carrying out in this field.

2.2.4.- Financing Spanish teaching programs (Spanish Virtual Classroom, teacher training, tutorial training, etc.).

2.3.- The IC PROPOSES

2.3.1.- Conducting face-to-face teaching of the Spanish language to TESDA teachers included in the programs.

2.3.2.- Providing a follow-through program via distance education through its Aula Virtual de Español (AVE, Spanish Virtual Classroom).

2.3.3.- Organizing programs for the training and development of teachers of Spanish in Spain with the possible collaboration of other institutions.

2.3.4.- Organizing and conducting tutor-training programs to support and assist teachers participating in the distance learning courses.

2.3.6.- Certifying knowledge of Spanish by means of the Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera (DELE, Diploma of Spanish as a Foreign Language).

3.- TESDA PROPOSES

3.1.- The formulation of the goals and objectives of the learning of Spanish in relation to the level of knowledge to be attained, with the recommendation of reaching a minimum communicative A2 (180 hours per school year) level, and advising a B1 (330 hours per school year) at the end of the technical and skills education stage, after the levels established by international reference documents for the learning of languages, especially those published by the IC curricular project and the Ministry.

3.2.- The joint writing of a curriculum and syllabus for the teaching of Spanish in the Philippine TESDA system.

3.3.- The joint publication of a teaching guide for the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language adapted to the Philippine system.

3.4.- The use of adequate tools to support the learning of Spanish by means of information and communication technologies.

3.5.- The introduction in the TESDA System of a certificate of knowledge of Spanish in compliance with international standards that may allow students to finish their studies with a language accreditation certificate together with their education certificate, such as the DELE diplomas (or others that may replace them according to such standards).

3.6.- Facilitating the collaboration work of the IC and the Ministry for the promotion of the Spanish as a foreign language diplomas (DELE, or others that may replace them according to international standards) as valid certificates of competence in Spanish and favoring the adoption of necessary measures for their recognition.

3.7.- Facilitating the cooperation work of the Spanish administration and institutions to execute this plan in all its legal, administrative and management aspects in the Philippines.

4.- THE SIGNATORIES PROPOSE

4.1.- Create a joint Coordination and Review Committee to coordinate, evaluate and study possible funding needs of the actions pursuing the introduction and development of Spanish in the TESDA system in the Philippines. This committee will be formed by TESDA designated Philippine representatives, together with a representative of the Spanish Embassy, a representative of the Ministry, a representative of AECID and a representative of the IC.

4.2.- Officially recognizing the teacher training and professional development courses followed by Philippine staff and faculty, organized by the Ministry and IC.

4.3.- Helping TESDA in the implementation of mechanisms to facilitate teachers’ mobility so that they can receive adequate training by means of permissions, leaves, study leave, catering grants and other initiatives.

4.4.- The mediation of TESDA with the appropriate Philippine authorities to obtain visas for teachers, staff, researchers, or Spanish language assistants in TESDA centers, educational and research institutions and the IC, if that be the case.

5.- EVALUATION

The members of the Coordination and Review Committee will prepare a yearly report about the implementation of this Agreement. This report will include proposals for the advancement of the programs.

6.- DURATION

The support plan for the teaching of Spanish in the TESDA system, overseen by the Coordination and Review Committee, will be implemented during the period 2012-2016, which will include the 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years in two successive phases, as established in 6.5:

6.1.- PHASE I. 2012-2014 Implementing the teaching of Spanish in the TESDA system by introducing the study of Spanish in at least two (2) TESDA centers in 2012-2013 and another two (2) centers in 2013-2014.

6.2.- PHASE II. 2014-2016 Consolidating the study of Spanish in the aforementioned four (4) centers and extending the study of Spanish to at least another eleven (11) TESDA regional centers.

6.3.- This Agreement will come into effect the day of its signing and will remain in effect for four (4) years, unless one of the signatories decides to terminate it, upon giving six (6) months written notice. This Agreement will be automatically renewed for one school year periods until a new agreement is signed modifying or substituting it, with the exception of the provision made in section 6.7.

6.4.- All or parts of this Agreement may be revised with the consent of the signatories. Any changes agreed upon shall be appended to the body of the Agreement as addenda, and will be part of the Agreement itself.

6.5.- TESDA, The Ministry, AECID and the IC will implement this Agreement subject to budget possibilities and availability of adequate and sufficient allocation of funds.

6.6.- This Agreement of Collaboration may be terminated if any of the signatories breaches its proposals and if the disagreement is not remedied within a period of a hundred and eighty (180) days as from the moment in which the complaining party serves a notice in writing specifying the breach and requiring its remedy.

6.7.- In the event of such a termination, existing programs as at the date of termination shall be completed in accordance with their original planning.

This Agreement is signed in English and in Spanish, and both versions are authoritative in the Philippines and in Spain.

Signed in Manila, on the 23^rd of October 2012.

  

For the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority of the Philippines	For the Ministery of Education, Culture and Sport
(Sgd.) Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva Director General	(Sgd.) Santiago González Fernández-Corugedo Educational Counsellor of the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines
For the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development,	For the Cervantes Institute
(Sgd.) Miren Itziar Taboada Aquerreta Director for Cultural and Scientific Relations, AECID	(Sgd.) Javier Galván Guijo Director of the Technical Office of the Secretary General of the Instituto Cervantes

Entry into Force: October 23, 2012