About the KHC
The Story behind the Klaus Hoffarth Center for Critical Thinking
What is Critical Thinking?
The ability to question, analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information in order to form a well-reasoned judgement.
What is Good Governance?
The exercise of authority to promote inclusive human development.
Why the KHC?
The inspiration behind the KHC
The creation of the Klaus Hoffarth Center for Critical Thinking was inspired by the pressing problems of the Philippines, particularly in education and political governance.
KHC believes that developing one's critical thinking skills should not only lead to personal development but also contribute to national advancement. This is achieved by forming critical thinkers who can effect change in the realm of political governance. The center aims to form individuals who are more discerning in the election of enlightened leaders and holding them to account when making decisions and implementing policies.
The KHC-Miriam College Partnership
Miriam College is a committed partner in realizing KHC's work of promoting and effecting better political governance through critical thinking. Their shared values, educational platform. and network of influential alumni make them an ideal partner as agents of change.
Founded by the Maryknoll Sisters in 1926, Miriam College is a premiere educational institution known for producing individuals who are both academically competent and socially aware, committed to live the school's values of Truth, Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation.
Miriam College has three campuses - Loyola Heights in Metro Manila, Nuvali in Laguna, and Alviera in Pampanga.
For more information on Miriam College, click on the link below.
Vision
The Klaus Hoffarth Center for Critical Thinking will be the premiere resource center for critical thinking with the aim to promote good political governance.
Mission
The KHC promotes critical thinking through programs that raise governance standards in all aspects of the Philippine political system, including voting policy, policy making, policy implementation, and public accountability.
Who is
Dr. Klaus Hoffarth?
Dr. Klaus Hoffarth was an economist who initially worked at the Institute of Economic Research, University of Münster, Germany. He was later seconded to the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation. Assigned to South Korea with four other advisors to help draft its Five-Year Economic Plan, he observed how the then more impoverished country than the Philippines staged its own economic miracle in less than a generation.
At the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila, he spent years travelling around the Asian region to promote ADB initiatives. However, while visiting various provinces in the Philippines, he observed the lack of structures and systems needed to strengthen Philippine institutions, which in turn gives rise to the many under-utilised talents and skills of the Filipinos.
He then transferred to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in the UK to help privatise the public companies in the then newly liberated states of Eastern Europe. Likewise, comparing the Philippines with some countries of the former Soviet Union, he thought that the nation’s problems (e.g., corruption) were not as intractable as some of those he witnessed in these European countries.
It is with this sense of agency that the funds he left behind are being used in partnership with Miriam College for the purpose of promoting Philippine developmental objectives.
KHC's 3 Pillars
In this video, KHC Advisory Council Chair Gerry van der Linden as he explains the inspiration behind KHC and its 3 pillars the Center is anchored on - INFORMATION, EDUCATION, POLITICAL GOVERNANCE.
Meet the Advisory Council
The Advisory Council sets the direction of the KHC and monitors progress.
The members bring their rich and unique expertise and experience from various fields to enhance the Center's programs, activities and ensure its sustainability.
