MANILA - PHINMA Education is eyeing to expand in Indonesia where it also currently operates.

At a press briefing in Makati, PHINMA officials said they plan to serve more tertiary schools in Indonesia and expand its existing school in Karawang in West Java. Currently, its Indonesian campus offers similar courses as the ones in the Philippines such as Nursing, IT, Business and more.

“The most immediate areas for expansion would be Surabaya. We’re looking also at Jakarta and other places as well in West Java,” said Raymundo Reyes, Country Head of PHINMA Education in Indonesia.

Indonesia has potential for future growth due to its population, said PHINMA Education President and CEO Chito Salazar.

But the company is also looking at other potential areas in Southeast Asia particularly Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Salazar revealed there are also invitations to set up schools in India, Rwanda, Zambia and other countries, but there are not formal talks yet.

QUALITY EDUCATION

PHINMA said it is focused on students from low-income families who may not be able to afford college tuition and may be far from state colleges.

But despite the affordability, Salazar said the quality of courses is maintained as highlighted by PHINMA Education's overall board passing rate which hit 79 percent, with topnotchers in Criminology, Optometry, Nursing, Elementary Education and Pharmacy.

“No entrance exam, no weeding out, no selection. We accept everyone and we commit to take them to this level of performance,” said Salazar who reiterated that quality education remains a priority even if schools fees are low.

Meanwhile, the company’s net income hit over P1 billion in school year 2022-2023.

The company said it was able to manage its budget well, reducing expenses on non-essential projects and personnel. The company said it is even exploring the possibility of reducing school fees to P5,000 per semester, depending on the course and financial status of the students.

PHINMA Education manages several schools in the Philippines including the PHINMA University of Pangasinan, PHINMA St. Jude College, PHINMA Araullo University, PHINMA University of Iloilo, PHINMA Cagayan de Oro College, Southwestern University and more. The company also plans to add more schools across the country as they intend to reach about 160,000 students this year.