Filipinos seeking to study in Canada got to explore education opportunities available to them at a special fair in Manila recently.

Due to strong public demand from students who’d like to pursue studies abroad, the Canadian Embassy in Manila had decided to hold a second “Study in Canada” fair on October 22, at the Fairmont Hotel in Makati City. 

Parents and students who were interested in enrolling in the K-12, college, and university levels met with representatives from 19 Canadian institutions to discuss their education prospects.

“Holding an education fair twice this year not only shows Canadian schools’ growing focus in this region but also the increasing number of students attracted by Canada’s reputation for excellence in education,“ said Karra-Lee Gerrits, the Canadian embassy’s senior trade commissioner at the fair’s press launch in Makati.

According to data from the Canadian Embassy, only 1,196 of the 239,121 international students in Canada as of December 1, 2011, were from the Philippines. 

Although the figure represents a significant increase from 953 in 2010, Canadian Ambassador Christopher Thornley said that Filipinos remain a “very small part” of Canada’s foreign student population. 

“The number’s quite low, though. I mean, that’s one of the reasons why we’re doing this, we’d like to see it become much higher,” Thornley said.

The press launch marked the first time the Canadian embassy showed its “Study in Canada” video series, which featured prominent Filipinos who have studied at Canadian institutions.

The alumni featured in the video included Dr. Eva Cutiongco-Dela Paz, the director of the Institute of Human Genetics at the University of the Philippines, Manila; Francis Glenn Yu, president of Seaoil Philippines; and electro-pop singer Nyko Maca.

Gerrits described the Filipino alumni who appeared in the video as “ambassadors.” “[They] can speak of Canada’s high academic standards, affordable tuition, a safe and exciting cross-cultural environment and direct access to global career opportunities,” she said.

In 2012, Canada welcomed a record of over 265,000 full-time international students through the issuance of study permits. The influx of foreign students in the world’s second largest country has led to the creation of over 86,000 jobs and generated more than US$445 million in government revenue.

According to the 2012 “Education at a Glance” report published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Canada remains the leading country with the highest percentage of educated citizens. More than half  of its population, or 51 percent, has achieved at least college or university education. 

Canada has been consistently ranked as among the top three OECD member countries with the highest investment in public post-secondary and tertiary education. Since 2004, Canada has also been periodically ranked among the top 10 countries in the United Nations Quality of Life Index.