Philippine Embassy in Prague and Palacky University Olomouc Agree on the Establishment of a Philippine Studies Program

 Ambassador of the Philippines to the Czech Republic Eduardo R. Meñez and Dr. Martin Ebel, Vice Dean for International Affairs of the Palacký University Olomouc (UPOL), sign the Donation Agreement at the university’s Dean’s Office in Olomouc on 20 June 2025. Assoc. Prof. Alfred Gerstl, President of the Central European Institute of Asian Studies, and Dr. František Kratochvil, Head of the Asian Studies Department at UPOL, witnessed the signing.

PRAGUE 25 June 2025 — A first in the Czech Republic, courses on Philippine Studies will be introduced at the Palacký University Olomouc (UPOL) by the winter term of the school year 2025-2026, after the Embassy of the Philippines in Prague, represented by Ambassador Eduardo R. Meñez, signed a donation agreement to conceptualize the program and test academic courses, including the introduction of a Filipino language course, with the university on 20 June 2025.

The agreement with UPOL is part of the Global Philippine Studies Program that is fully funded by the Office of Cultural Diplomacy of the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2025. The program intends to be a sustainable initiative whereby selected universities across the world will be able to grow the interest of students to take courses on Philippine Studies in the current and succeeding years.

To begin the project, courses in history, culture, and politics of the Philippines will be offered to students of UPOL. An introduction to the Filipino language will also be taught.

Dr. František Kratochvil (Head of the Asian Studies Department) and Associate Professor Alfred Gerstl (Head of the Indo-Pacific Hub of the Asian Studies Department and President of the Central European Institute of Asian Studies) will coordinate the Philippine Studies project at UPOL. END 

Ambassador of the Philippines to the Czech Republic Eduardo R. Meñez and Dr. Martin Ebel, Vice Dean for International Affairs of the Palacký University Olomouc (UPOL), shake hands after signing the Donation Agreement at the university’s Dean’s Office in Olomouc on 20 June 2025. With them are (left) Dr. František Kratochvil, Head of the Asian Studies Department at UPOL and (right) Assoc. Prof. Alfred Gerstl, President of the Central European Institute of Asian Studies.

(Left to right) Minister and Consul General Indhira C. Bañares, Dr. František Kratochvil, Ambassador Eduardo R. Meñez, Vice Dean Dr. Martin Ebel, Labor Attaché Llewelyn Perez, Olga Lunačkova, and Assoc. Prof. Alfred Gerstl takes a pose after the signing of the Donation Agreement at the Dean’s Office in Olomouc on 20 June 2025.

For more information, visit https://www.praguepe.dfa.gov.ph  or https://www.facebook.com/PHinCzechRepublic/.