De La Salle University President Br. Bernard Oca FSC discussed the country’s state of digitalization in higher education—including its challenges and prospects—at the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning (ASAIHL) Conference 2025.
Held at Beltei International University in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from July 6 to 8, the event gathered academics, researchers, administrators, and students from across Southeast Asia and beyond to discuss the digitalization of higher education and related topics such as AI, the digital divide, social media, and digital transformation, among others.
Br. Bernie, who concurrently sits as an ASAIHL board member and as president of the National Council of the Philippines, highlighted the state of internet penetration and use in Philippine schools, key digitalization initiatives of HEIs and DLSU, and long-term recommendations toward a transformative digital strategy.
According to him, there is a need for public investment in digital infrastructure, a redesign of rules and procedures for implementing digital education, and continued discussions on what learning quality looks like under hybrid modalities. He ended by saying, “As one of the world’s leading users of the internet in general and social media in particular, there is no shortage of appetite for change. We welcome every opportunity to work with like-minded institutions to create a more digitally literate and equitable ASEAN.”
Established in 1955, ASAIHL is one of the oldest regional organizations in Southeast Asia. It has 246 member institutions from 25 countries.
