Capacity building in the field of Higher Education for Legal, Social and Digital Advancement through the promotion of Excellence in Research and Sustainable Connectivity in the Philippines

ongoing

“Kalsada” is a Filipino word that comes from the Spanish “Calzada”, used to name the Roman vias (or “calzadas”) – the backbone of Europe – and to indicate the existence of a paved road that joins and merges different areas and populations. In our context, CALSADA – a hybrid between the Filipino and Spanish words - represents a joint Filipino-European effort and commitment; a symbiosis of collaboration with a purpose of union. RSC indicate the bricks that will pave the EU-PH calsada together: research and sustainable connectivity for the promotion of quality in legal graduate education in the country. The project addresses the significant concern of the low quality of graduate legal education in the Philippines, which has been shaped by an overemphasis on professional training for the bar exam and a lack of research integration, digitalization, and efficient connectivity in law schools. These challenges have been exacerbated by inadequate infrastructure, limiting online education, research collaboration, and crisis response capacities. CALSADA aims to resolve these issues by engaging key stakeholders such as the Legal Education Board, the Commission on Higher Education, and various Filipino and European legal institutions. The project will focus on two main goals: (1) the development of a National Framework for Quality and Sustainable Connectivity in graduate legal education, which will promote research-driven programs and enhance digital access and sustainability, and (2) the increased capacities of national authorities and LEIs academic and administrative bodies to design and offer quality graduate programs, conduct, supervise and collaborate in relevant and impactful interdisciplinary research and move forward in the digitalization of Law Schools, implementing measures to ensure its sustainable connectivity within and outside the country and enhancing the relevance of LEIs for the successful implementation of EU’s Global Gateway strategy for the ASEAN region.