Philippine teacher education experts and leaders flew to Ethiopia to take part in the Educators Shaping Futures: A Global Knowledge Exchange on Teacher Preparation and Development held on November 3 to 4, 2025, at the headquarters of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). Participated in by more than 200 delegates from across the globe, the conference was organized by the World Bank Group, UNESCO, Florida State University, and the Ethiopian Ministry of Education.

The Philippine delegation was led by Teacher Education Council Secretariat (TECS) Executive Director V Dr. Jennie V. Jocson and Department of Education Assistant Secretary for Learning Systems Strand Dr. Jerome T. Buenviaje. Joining them were Philippine Normal University (PNU) President Dr. Bert J. Tuga and Research Institute for Teacher Quality (RITQ) Director Dr. Brando C. Palomar, whose participation was made possible through the PNU–Research Initiatives for Teacher Education (RITE) 2 Project funded by the Teacher Education Council.

The two-day event featured several parallel and plenary discussions, as well as networking activities that served as venues for PNU officials and other members of the Philippine delegation to gather best practices from teacher education institutions and explore their applications in local contexts. Various strategies on teacher development, innovation, and collaboration were discussed in depth by renowned global experts.

Capitalizing on the wealth of knowledge gathered from the conference, the Philippine delegation was also given the opportunity to witness the Ethiopian education system in action. They conducted learning visits to two secondary schools and visited Addis Ababa University and Kotebe University of Education, with which PNU forged a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Lastly, the delegation also paid a visit to the Ministry of Education of Ethiopia.

The participation of PNU in the global exchange underscores its active role in advancing international partnerships in teacher education and research.