Cultural Attaché to talk on German Unification,
Berlin Wall and Migration of Refugees
Liceo de Cagayan University will renew its Memorandum of Understanding with the Goethe Insitut Philippinen as one of its PASCH School Partners for the Future.
Goethe Institut Manila Director Dr. Petra Raymond and Liceo de Cagayan University President Dr. Mariano Lerin unveil the PASCH Plaque for Liceo de Cagayan University, which since 2013 has been a partner of the Goethe Institut under the “Schools: Partners of the Future” program (photo by Engr. Jeorgelyn Barlisan)
Dr. Teresita T. Tumapon, Ph.D., LdCU Vice President for External Relations and Internationalization, said the two day event will be held on Jan. 21-22, 2016 at the university campus with the new director of the Goethe Institut Philippinen – Dr. Ulrich Nowak, Falk Schleicher, Head of the German Language Program, Goethe Institut Philippinen and Thornsten Werner Gottfried, Cultural Attaché, German Embassy in the Philippines.
“Earlier in 2013 we received the good news of our being officially a PASCH school – the German initiative better known to the English-speaking world as Schools: Partners for the Future – as one newspaper termed it, a landmark partnership – of the Federal Republic of Germany and Liceo de Cagayan University for the Liceo High School,” Dr. Tumapon said.
“As one of the 1,500 network of PASCH schools worldwide, and one of three in the Philippines, Liceo has been able to raise the interest of many parents, students and teachers, healthcare and other professionals including well meaning fiancées of German gentlemen in the study of German language and culture,” she added. “These people have experienced actually and virtually that learning German is one way of getting in close touch with the world.”
The two day program kicks off with a welcome program on Jan. 21, 2015 followed by a visit to the German Room at the Rodolfo N. Pelaez Grounds.
The PASCH Plaque of Liceo de Cagayan University, symbolizing its partnership with the Goethe Institut under the “Schools: Partners of the Future” program – aimed at promoting the German language worldwide (photo by Engr. Jeorgelyn Barlisan)
The main event starts 9:00AM with a talk on German Unification, the Berlin Wall and the status of migrants in Germany by Herr Gottfried, the cultural attaché at AVR-3. This will be followed by the MOU renewal at the same venue.
“For our teaching of the German language in the Graduate Studies as early as September 2010, no less than CHED central office congratulated us as pioneer in the teaching of German to healthcare professionals. That was also the year when the Department of Education issued an order that German is part of DepEd’s Special Foreign Language Program (SFLP) in preparation for the K-12 curriculum, Dr. Tumapon said”
Through our Philippine Embassy in Berlin, Minister Counsellor Mardomel Celo Melicor, LcDU received in three batches, donation of Teaching German texts no less from the President of the German Federation of Private Caregivers dutifully sent via diplomatic pouch by our Philippine Ambassador to Germany Frau Ma. Cleofe Natividad and through the usual channels of DFA Manila, reached our office at Liceo courtesy of our own DFA Director in Cagayan de Oro City.
Dr. Petra Raymond (2nd from right) and Falk Schleicher (center, standing) of the Goethe Institut with the officials of Liceo de Cagayan University (photo by Engr. Jeorgelyn Barlisan)
In December of 2014, the Philippines and Germany signed a bilateral for 500 Filipino nurses to fill up the latter’s dire need for healthcare professionals and some proficiency in German was a prerequisite to employment and eventual migration.
“Our being a partner school has indeed helped Liceo poise for internationalization — which is one of our University’s major goals in response to ASEAN integration along with partner countries in Asia, the West and in Europe,” Dr. Tumapon disclosed.”
“Being a PASCH school has been made possible through Goethe Institut – through the ever supportive initiative of our honored guests — the past Directors Herr Richard Künzel and Dr. Petra Raymond and now the new Director of the Goethe Institut Philippinen Dr. Ulrich Nowak, the past German language head Herr Helmut Frielinghaus predecessor of Herr Falk Schleicher our steadfast ally and kin of the Liceo family who shepherded us to become a PASCH school, and Herr Thorsten Werner Gottfried cultural attaché of the German Embassy successor to Herr Michael Fuchs. Along with them, and with us all at Liceo, we hope to continue this landmark partnership for the years onward.”
-INDNJC-