AS the changing the Constitution movement continues, the latest issue is whether to remove the prohibition on majority non-Filipino ownership of educational institutions. Frankly, I really don't care much about this issue as it is not going to cause any major change or bring major foreign investments. It may force some of our leading education institutions and universities to sweat and realize why they are so low in regional rankings, not to mention global surveys of leading institutions, by having more competitors compete for their prized students. The real issue is not ownership but the quality of our education.
As for some of the more fanciful dreams and ideas like Harvard, Stanford or Oxford opening in the Philippines, I am sorry but that is frankly ludicrous. The most prestigious universities are generally nonprofit and much of their prestige comes from their exclusivity. Prestige comes from scarcity and the extreme difficulty in getting into the school, whether as a professor and even more as a student.
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