CTU President Rosein Ancheta Jr.’s succinct campaign to embrace 4th industrial revolution (4IR) for education reform was made clear in the declaration that reflected 25 signatures of university leaders who attended the Universities 4.0: Ushering a New Age of Enlightenment event on July 4-5 in Cebu City.
“We recognize the value and role of our universities as catalysts for ushering in the promise and opportunities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution that expand human knowledge at a rate never seen before — a new age of enlightenment characterized by unstoppable, transformative, and exponential scientific and technological innovations.
We come together as Philippine educators who reaffirm our primordial commitment to producing the next generation of Filipinos who can fully engage, lead and excel in the competitive knowledge-based economy, support economic growth, and drive innovation,” ran the second and third paragraphs of the declaration.
It was an unprecedented bid for change in the Philippine educational landscape backed by the The Institutes for Research, Innovation, and Scholarship (IRIS) and the chosen technology partner Dassault Systèmes.
The collaboration stressed on putting Philippines, especially Cebu, at the core of this massive shift that mainly requires upskilling of students, faculty, and those in the industry through education, research and digital technology for the emerging global economy.
The 5-point agenda, as indicated, assures enhancing the STEM curriculum, creating a common research portal (for public and private universities) for “ease of alliance”, establishing a “high-level University-Government-Industry-Community consortium, providing assistance to micro, small and medium enterprises, and encouraging translational technology-based researches among students and faculty.
Industry 4.0 palpably penetrates the mindset of today’s academe, government and industry such that embracing its challenges, as Dr. Ancheta mentioned in his discussion, is key to surviving the era.
Food security, climate change, among others, were some of the topics that sparked interest at the event so that the newfound collaboration among the nation’s universities is heavily banked on to ensure finding appropriate digital solutions, as these exhibit innovative ways in addressing such.
Dassault Systèmes and MDC Group, Inc. at the outset provided the 3DEXPERIENCE PLAYGROUND where participants were primarily oriented on enabling digital educational practices, digital manufacturing, solidworks simulation, advanced multidisciplinary engineering, and virtual training. These concepts are composites of sustainability which drive innovation in industry 4.0 despite limited resources.
The company’s expertise in transforming concepts into viable solutions to some of the world’s pressing concerns has been known for decades. Its coverage of digitally inspired ecosystems across the globe imbues CTU and other universities with clarity on how to outperform others in the future.
Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) President Tirso Ronquillo galvanized his stance being the leader of SUCs to acknowledge and learn the complexities of the 4th industrial era where everything draws from technological systems.
CTU’s fabrication of handwoven products factored much into Dr. Ancheta’s presentation of the university’s ‘smart city’ capabilities, as it featured cutting edge technologies to preserve culture while keeping waste products to a minimum.
Fablabs that bustle among CTU campuses are a huge plus in blending into the era. DTI’s assistance to power the university with high-end facilities is CTU’s great advantage in promoting digital creations for various industries.
More innovative mechanisms were shown during the president’s discussion on how to advance the innovative platform in the academe. In his so labeled ‘CTU experience’, he included efficiency as a core mandate of one of the the country’s executive departments, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, which the university has coped with. This builds on CTU president’s determination to quicken the pace in doing research, in particular, while maintaining integrity insofar as faculty development is concerned.
The event drew success from dignitaries who, at CTU’s behest, shared relevant information—Competitiveness and Innovation, Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary Rafaelita M. Aldaba, Research and Development, Department of Science and Technology Undersecretary Rowena Cristina L. Guevara, Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges President Tirso A. Ronquillo, Aerospace Industries Association of the Philippines Chairman John T. Lee, Semiconductors and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Inc. President Daniel C. Lachica, Mapua University President Reynaldo B. Vea, De La Salle University Vice-Chancellor for Research Raymond Girard Tan, University of the Philippines Vice President for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose B. Bautista, and The Institutes for Research, Innovation, and Scholarship (The IRIS) convenor Napoleon K. Juanillo Jr. UICP