MANILA – The Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines hosted a send off ceremony for 63 Filipino students slated to start their academic journey in several countries in the European Union (EU), as the newest batch of scholars under the Erasmus+ Programme.
According to the EU in the Philippines, the Erasmus+ Programme “will allow them [students] to pursue MA and PhD programmes in different universities across the European Union.”
“The EU’s mobility and scholarship programme, Erasmus+, is structured to allow students to study in several EU member states, giving them the opportunity to benefit from the academic excellence and culture of more than one university,” EU continued.
In his speech, EU Ambassador to the Philippines, H. E. Luc Véron, congratulated the Erasmus+ scholars and urged them to become ambassadors of goodwill to help strengthen the partnership between the EU and the Philippines, highlighting the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year.
Véron also encouraged the Erasmus+ scholars “to give back to their country” after finishing their respective academic programmes in the EU.
The Philippines has been ranked as “one of the countries with the highest number of Erasmus+ scholars in the region,” Veron added.
The EU called the Erasmus+ programme “a life-changing opportunity” for Filipino students to study in the best higher education institutions in the EU and other partner countries, experience the European culture, learn European languages and be integrated into the European society for one to two years.
Erasmus+ is among the leading international academic mobility programmes in the world. Besides promoting student mobility, Erasmus+ also supports partnerships between European and Philippine higher education institutions, the EU stated.
According to the European Commission website, the EU provided funding for running the mentioned academic programmes and offering competitive scholarships to the best students worldwide.
The duration of the funding is for six (6) academic years, covering at least four (4) editions of the masters programme, with grant amounting to approximately €5 million per project; while the EU scholarship for individuals is approximately €1,400 per month for a maximum of 24 months.
