Manila: More teachers and education personnel are set to benefit from a new medical upskilling initiative with the implementation of the Higher Education Upskilling and Study for Advancement of Staff and Faculty (HUSAY) Program. In a news release, the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila said the program would enable at least 2,300 faculty members, non-teaching staff, and researchers from higher education institutions accredited by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
According to Philippines News Agency, they will undergo short-term training under UP Manila's Bio-Health Education, Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Capacity Building, Optimization, and Innovation (BEACON) Program. The PHP80.43 million BEACON initiative will shoulder scholars' learning materials, program kits, resource persons, accommodation, meals, incidental costs, and transportation expenses based on the approved financial plan. Applications will be open from March to December 2026.
Guided by CHED Memorandum Orders 15 (s. 2023) and 8 (s. 2025), the HUSAY Program aims to strengthen institutional capacity and expand opportunities for upskilling and reskilling across the higher education sector. UP Manila Chancellor Michael Tee said the BEACON project is designed to enhance competencies in institutional integrity, ethics, and AI in teaching and research by offering reskilling and upskilling courses to educators.
He noted that the courses fall under three clusters - Biomedical Education and Pedagogy; Biomedical Research, Technology, and Ethics; and Environmental and Occupational Practice - utilizing AI-enabled virtual learning platforms. Among the flagship courses are the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization-aligned Artificial Intelligence Competency Development Course for medical educators, the Simulation Course for advancing medical education, and Research Integrity in Bio-Health Sciences and Digital Health Ethics.
BEACON project proponent Dr. Lenora Fernandez said UP Manila will always provide relevant, readily accessible, and state-of-the-art biomedical courses that will help upskill and reskill Filipino faculty and staff.
