INNOTECH Seminar Series on Education, Innovation and Technology | Seminar 4
The fourth installment of the INNOTECH Seminar Series on Education, Innovation, and Technology was convened on August 18, 2025, at SEAMEO INNOTECH’s LB Soriano Hall in Quezon City, with proceedings simultaneously broadcast live via Facebook. Continuing the series’ mission to bridge research, policy, and practice, this session focused on the future of Philippine higher education within the framework of Bagong Pilipinas. Guest speaker Dr. Shirley C. Agrupis, Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), delivered a comprehensive presentation entitled “Future-Ready Higher Education: Innovation with Equity in the Bagong Pilipinas.” Her address underscored the urgent need to align education with labor market demands, resolve the growing mismatch between graduate competencies and industry needs, and ensure that higher education fosters meaningful employment and drives national development.
Dr. Agrupis introduced CHED’s ACHIEVE Agenda (2025–2030)—a seven-point strategic blueprint designed to transform Philippine higher education through the pillars of innovation, equity, and collaboration. She highlighted significant achievements, including robust enrollment growth, the expansion of free higher education, and increasing global recognition of Philippine universities. At the same time, she emphasized reforms to harmonize higher education with the Sustainable Development Goals, broaden access through flexible lifelong learning, and strengthen global competitiveness. At the core of her message was a call to collective action: for educators, policymakers, industries, and communities to work together in shaping a resilient, inclusive, and future-ready higher education system—one that equips every Filipino learner with the skills, values, and vision to thrive in an equitable and progressive Philippines.
