ATESEA meets leadership of FTESEA
Dr. Ngoei Foong Nghian and Dr. Limuel Equina met with the members of the FTESEA program committee composed of Dr. Kwok Pui Lan, Dr. Jeffrey Kuan, Dr. Lester Ruiz, and members of the Board of Trustees from October 16 to 17, 2015 at Knox College, Toronto, Canada.
The ATESEA representatives updated the Committee on the ATESEA programs and emerging challenges in Asia. Among them are the government regulations on the granting of degrees imposed by some countries in Asia on the educational system including the theological schools. They informed that the ATU Senate will address the issue in its November meeting. Assurance was given that ATESEA will continue to promote development of faculty, leadership, and library. Accreditation is part of its efforts to strengthen the theological institutions and quality of education in the region.
The FTESEA Program Committee likewise presented the three priorities of FTESEA in its engagement with partners and clarified the scopes of their priorities:
A. Faculty Development
1. Upgrading of Academic Credentials by encouraging the faculty to earn a doctoral degree
2. Faculty Research outside the region. This is a research program awarded to a faculty who wants to spend six months as part of his/her sabbatical outside Asia.
3. Short Term Faculty Research within the region. This is done regionally.
B.Women’s Development
FTESEA is interested in Women’s concerns. FTESEA, in cooperation with ATESEA, has conducted a Women’s Theological Consultation in Manila in June 2015.
C. FTESEA Grants to ATESEA
The FTESEA Program Committee informed that grants to ATESEA will be divided into two parts. The first part is for the programs of ATESEA. The second part is for the special projects submitted by the member schools. FTESEA affirmed its commitment to help the member schools only through ATESEA. This means that ATESEA will assist FTESEA in evaluating the project proposals submitted by the member schools.
The grants will be based on the following:
1. Academic projects that are envisaged to have an impact on the academic development of seminaries and faculty within the area/country.
2. Projects that benefit not only the participating seminaries but also other member seminaries of ATESEA in the area/region.
In April 2016, FTESEA will hold a consultation meeting in Hong Kong with all its partners to discuss the programs and proposals for the next three to five years.
The ATESEA representatives were also invited to join the FTESEA Board Meeting, chaired by Canon Peter Ng, where they shared the ongoing programs of ATESEA in partnership with FTESEA.
