More foreign students flock to Philippines — BI

More foreigners are taking up college in the Philippines this school year, according to Bureau of Immigration (BI) data. Their numbers rose 4 percent to 19,121 from 18,353 in the previous school year. BI officer-in-charge Ronaldo Ledesma said the statistics are based on the number of identity cards issued to aliens who are certified as registered in the Philippines. “The fact that many foreigners are studying here means that the quality of our educational system is continuously improving. Our schools are competing with the best of their counterparts in Asia in attracting foreign enrollees," Ledesma said. Topping the list of foreign students are South Koreans with 6,000, followed by the Chinese (3,395), Iranians (2,980), and Americans (1,004). Also in the list are hundreds of Indonesians, Indians, Taiwanese, Kuwaitis, Nepalese, Thais, Sudanese, Vietnamese, Nigerians, Kenyans, Japanese, Pakistanis, Timorese, and Burmese, said BI alien registration chief Danilo Almeda. Most foreign students are studying in Metro Manila, mostly at Centro Escolar University. University of the East, Far Eastern University, Manila Central University, University of Santo Tomas, and De La Salle University are also schools with a significant number of foreign students enrolled. Ledesma said foreigners who want to study in the Philippines must secure a student visa, following Philippine immigration laws. He added they should only enroll in authorized schools or those accredited by the bureau. — With Paterno Esmaquel II/VS, GMANews.TV