Dr. Evaristo A. Abella, University President addressed the country’s agriculturists as plenary speaker during the 11th Philippine Association of Agriculturists (PAA) National Congress and 2024 Philippine Agriculturists’ Summit today, July 3, held at Royce Hotel, Clark, Angeles City, Pampanga.
Under the session on partnerships with industry for sustainable future-proof transformation of the Philippine higher education agriculture curriculum, Dr. Abella presented the best practices of Central Luzon State University (CLSU) in terms of creating impactful collaborations with the industry.
He emphasized that collaboration between academic institutions is vital in preparing the students for the challenges of the modern workforce, hence the initiative of CLSU to have industry partners that will amplify the capacity of the university in providing facilities for experiential learning of the students.
“The collaboration between academia and industry is a powerful catalyst for innovation, economic growth, and educational excellence. At CLSU, we are committed to building and strengthening these partnerships to create a brighter future for our students, our community, and our country,” President Abella concluded.
Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Ms. Ruby Samonte, Research Operations Manager at East-West Seed Group, and Dr. Weerapon Thongma, President of Maejo University in Thailand, presented on various topics. These included current and proposed revisions in the Philippine higher education institution curriculum, perspectives from the agriculture industry, and the agri-industry model in higher education in Thailand.
Following the plenary session, an open forum was moderated by Dr. Jose DV. Camacho, Jr., Chancellor of the University of the Philippines Los Baños. During the forum, the speakers addressed questions from their peers and the participants. The congress attracted over 1,500 agriculturists from various regions of the country, as well as international guests.
