Philippines - Educational System—an Overview
percent schools private students
Three government organizations handle education in the Philippines. These are the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports (DECS), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). In 1999, the Department of Education, Culture and Sports, which governs both public and private education in all levels, stated that its mission was "to provide quality basic education that is equitably accessible to all by the foundation for lifelong learning and service for the common good." The Department also stipulated its vision to "develop a highly competent, civic spirited, life-skilled, and God-loving Filipino youth who actively participate in and contribute towards the building of a humane, healthy and productive society." All these ambitions were embodied in the development strategy called "Philippines 2000."
The academic year in the Philippines is patterned after its wet/cool and dry/hot seasons. The hottest months of the year are from March to May, thus making them the "summer break." The wet season starts in June, which also marks the beginning of the academic school year. Beginning 1993, DECS increased the number of school days from 185 to 200. The school year ends during the first few weeks of March. The Philippines, a Catholic country, has a two- to three-week break during Christmas in December and a four- to five-day break at the start of November to celebrate the Day of the Saints and the Day of the Dead.
The language of instruction has been a much debated topic. For a country dispersed over 7,107 islands, with 11 languages and 87 dialects, colonized by Spain for more than 300 years, and educated by the Americans, the decision to pick a particular language of instruction has been very controversial. The languages used for instruction have switched from Spanish to Tagalog, to English to the local vernacular, including some Chinese languages, and Arabic, which is used in the southern part of the country.
According to an official publication of the U.S. Library of Congress, the Philippine census reported that during the 1990s a total of 65 percent of Filipinos understood English. During the last four decades of the twentieth century, education in all levels had vastly improved. In the compulsory elementary level, from 1965-1966, there were a total of 5.8 million students enrolled, 4.5 percent of which were in private institutions. In 1987-1988 these numbers grew to 9.6 million enrolled, 6.6 percent of which were in private schools. By school year 1999-2000, 12.6 million were enrolled with 7.1 percent in the private sector. This level is for grades 1 through 6—ages 7 to 12. The various Philippine grade levels are referred to with cardinal numbers (one, two, three) rather than ordinal numbers (first, second, third). Secondary education is taught for 4 years from ages 13 to 16.
Primary and secondary schools are taught from Monday to Friday, starting at 7:30 A.M. The school day begins with a flag raising, national anthem, and pledge of allegiance. Students usually have an hour for lunch. School cafeterias are mostly non-existent and those that exist are largely inadequate. Students either go home for lunch or pack their lunch. Some parents, usually mothers, come to school to bring warm lunch for their children. Classes resume for the afternoon, until about 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. In some areas, due to lack of facilities, certain schools are forced to have double shifts, minimizing the hours children spend in school.
Access has been a problem for certain sectors of the population and DECS has made this the number one priority. In the secondary level for 1965-1966, approximately 1.17 million students were enrolled with 62.3 percent in the private sector. In 1987-1988, there was a total of 3.49 million students enrolled, 40.8 percent of whom were in private schools. By 1999-2000 there was an overall total of 5.1 million students, with 24 percent in private schools.
Higher education in the Philippines is strongly in the private sector. Most bachelor degrees are for four years. Students are usually from 17 to 20 years old. In 1985, the private sector of higher education was close to 80 percent of the student population. Of these institutions one-third are considered non-profit, while two-thirds function for monetary gain. This has lead to the reputation of certain schools as "diploma mills" and to the more serious problem of producing unqualified, unemployed, and underemployed graduates.
During the 1970s, there was a wide discrepancy in the literacy rates of the various regions of the country. The capital region of Metro Manila had a 95 percent literacy rate; the Central Luzon area had a 90 percent literacy rate while the Western portion of Mindanao had a 65 percent rate. Three principal indigenous languages in the Manila area are Cebuano in the Visayas, Tagalog and Ilocano in the northern portion of Luzon. In 1939 Philipino (which is based on the Tagalog language) was made the national language. Philipino later evolved to Filipino which is based on the languages used in the Philippines. English still remains the most important non-indigenous language used by media, higher education, private, primary and secondary schools, government administration, and business. Only a handful of families have maintained speaking in Spanish. The multiplicity of languages used in the Philippines has not affected its literacy rate of 94.6 percent, one of the highest in East Asia and the Pacific region.
Technology use is starting to gain momentum in the overall education of the Philippines. In 1999, there were 93 Internet Service Providers (ISP) in the country. By the beginning of 2001, the participation of nongovernmental organizations and the private sector in education was evident with the donation of 1,000 personal computers for use during school year 2001-2002 in 1,000 public high schools of 16 regions. The program, called One Thousand PCs, has four major components, namely: curriculum development with the creation of a one year course on computer education as a specialization in entrepreneurship; teacher training for recipient schools; courseware development through the creation of Information Technology materials; and the purchase of hardware from the private sector through the Adopt-A-School Program. The Department of Trade and Industry chaired this project.
Curricular development is under the jurisdiction of the DECS. Authority slowly trickled down to the municipal/local levels as the system shifted to decentralize decision-making and empower local schools. Despite these efforts, much of the important decisions, such as the purchase of all public school textbooks, is done by DECS.
Important curricular changes needed to respond to emerging student needs are limited due to budgetary constraints. Three tests are administered to students, the preparation for which must be addressed through further curricular development. These tests are the National Elementary Aptitude Test (NEAT), the National Secondary Aptitude Test (NSAT), and the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE).
The Philippine population grows at a rate of 2.07 percent per year. In July 2000, the estimated population was 81,159,644 people. About 37 percent of this population was from birth to 14-years-old. A 2 percent yearly population growth translates to about 1.6 million children born every year. This growth rate strains the resources of the educational system. During 1999-2000, a 2 percent increase in the number of students meant 8,000 more classrooms needed. The deficit was 29,000 since DECS was able to build only 6,000 new rooms for the year. More teachers required (total lack of 21,000 since the budget allowed for hiring only 4,700 new teachers) 400,000 more desks (of the 2.2 million needed, only 500,000 were purchased) and 10 million additional textbooks with a ratio of 2 students per book. To alleviate this strain, certain schools hold double sessions (one in the morning and another in the afternoon) in elementary schools. Some high schools even have triple sessions due to space and resource problems.
As for gender distribution in the elementary level, male and female students are almost equally represented, while there are more females students at the secondary and higher education level. In rural areas, men are expected to do work while women are allowed to pursue education. Males have a higher rate of failure, dropout, and repetition in both elementary and secondary levels.
User Comments
5 months ago
donna cabalar
our present educational system speaks for what kind of government we have. being a teacher education should not just be teaching what's the context and content of a book but rather reflection and instilled values formation should also be noted. Let pursue for change and development and be the tool for a new genre of education
over 1 year ago
its informational. But I must admit, 4 curriculum years in the secondary schools here in Phils. is enough, what should the government do is to maximize its support to the elem grades teacher, from salaries to modern teaching styles and trainings to assure really quality learnings among graders. When they reach high school years, then they will be competitive and more educated
9 months ago
Karen
Thank you so much for a informative, well written article. It will definitely help me with my school project!
7 months ago
our educational system is truly in a bad state. we've got problems not because of corruption alone. lets look at it in a much wider perspective. even our economy is in trouble. why? we could trace it all to our history. it will explain everything. our bahala na attitude, Nepotism, our church, our kapit-bahay mentality - or simply the way we were taught.
5 months ago
katrinapasko
please include the technical and vocational skills that the Philippine educational system caters..it would widen the view of this article with regards to the scope of the educational system of the country..
3 months ago
Thia Kares gorre
This gives me more information thank you it really helps a lot to my studies
Thank you so much
4 months ago
thank you very much! i could use this article on my research paper. . .
5 months ago
katrinapasko
please include the technical and vocational skills that the Philippine educational system caters..it would widen the view of this article with regards to the scope of the educational system of the country..
5 months ago
katrinapasko
please include the technical and vocational skills that the Philippine educational system caters..it would widen the view of this article with regards to the scope of the educational system of the country..
5 months ago
katrinapasko
please include the technical and vocational skills that the Philippine educational system caters..it would widen the view of this article with regards to the scope of the educational system of the country..
5 months ago
katrinapasko
please include the technical and vocational skills that the Philippine educational system caters..it would widen the view of this article with regards to the scope of the educational system of the country..
5 months ago
katrinapasko
please include the technical and vocational skills that the Philippine educational system caters..it would widen the view of this article with regards to the scope of the educational system of the country..
5 months ago
katrinapasko
please include the technical and vocational skills that the Philippine educational system caters..it would widen the view of this article with regards to the scope of the educational system of the country..
5 months ago
katrinapasko
please include the technical and vocational skills that the Philippine educational system caters..it would widen the view of this article with regards to the scope of the educational system of the country..
5 months ago
katrinapasko
please include the technical and vocational skills that the Philippine educational system caters..it would widen the view of this article with regards to the scope of the educational system of the country..
5 months ago
katrinapasko
please include the technical and vocational skills that the Philippine educational system caters..it would widen the view of this article with regards to the scope of the educational system of the country..
5 months ago
katrinapasko
please include the technical and vocational skills that the Philippine educational system caters..it would widen the view of this article with regards to the scope of the educational system of the country..
5 months ago
katrinapasko
please include the technical and vocational skills that the Philippine educational system caters..it would widen the view of this article with regards to the scope of the educational system of the country..
5 months ago
donna cabalar
our present educational system speaks for what kind of government we have. being a teacher education should not just be teaching what's the context and content of a book but rather reflection and instilled values formation should also be noted. Let pursue for change and development and be the tool for a new genre of education
5 months ago
donna cabalar
our present educational system speaks for what kind of government we have. being a teacher education should not just be teaching what's the context and content of a book but rather reflection and instilled values formation should also be noted. Let pursue for change and development and be the tool for a new genre of education
5 months ago
donna cabalar
our present educational system speaks for what kind of government we have. being a teacher education should not just be teaching what's the context and content of a book but rather reflection and instilled values formation should also be noted. Let pursue for change and development and be the tool for a new genre of education
5 months ago
donna cabalar
our present educational system speaks for what kind of government we have. being a teacher education should not just be teaching what's the context and content of a book but rather reflection and instilled values formation should also be noted. Let pursue for change and development and be the tool for a new genre of education
6 months ago
please update the data. its informative in since that it gives a clear defintion of our present education system. please include ubd. thank you
6 months ago
thank u for publishing this article it is very useful to all people especially for the student like me it can help me for my research...and having the knowledge of our educational system here in the philippines...thank u again
6 months ago
please include also the factors that create the gap between the Phil. educational system and the developed neighboring asian countries
6 months ago
please include also the factors that create the gap between the Phil. educational system and the developed neighboring asian countries
7 months ago
Vivian
It seems that many people have the same project of mine which is the educational system. Thank you for this info. It'll help a lot in my studies.
7 months ago
retchel gae dalipe
article about the philippine educational system
8 months ago
tnx for this info..nkatulong tlga..
but kelngan pa ng pecentage or # of students na nag-aaral mula knder1-gr.6
tnx po..
8 months ago
Please state also the current overview of educational system of the Philippines.
9 months ago
this could be of help for my cultural class here in south korea.
10 months ago
Iris Colmes
Thank you
11 months ago
Jason Talledo
Thank you for the bunch of information provided here. I owe you my successful paper.
11 months ago
kylle
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11 months ago
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11 months ago
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11 months ago
kylle
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about 1 year ago
marx
To: Philippine Education system decision makers:
The philippine educational sytem is a dismal failure. This can be seen by theiving govt officals produced this decade. We usually refer to them as corrupt, to be politically correct. How can our country be competitive.
Who do you think will fix the mess done by this decade? The answer could be twinkling, but its your children, grandchildren, the up coming genration. Might as well redo your thinking now, before they will be bobbing their heads in poverty the rest of their lives.
There are countries which have really moved there for better, by doing sensible decisions towards education. Why not learn what Finland and South Korea are doing. They are the best in the world and asia. What they did is nothing more than common sense, sensible analysis and decisions.
In this global environment, where information travel fast, other countries see and analyse what the philippines is doing, we should wary.
Most filipinos think the philippines is made up of smart people, sad to say neighboring countries say otherwise, and with very valid reasons. As we can see. Stop and look around.
AS for me I believe education is the key to improve ourselves and standout among the well meaninged global economy.
As what Nelson Mandela said, " education is a powerful weapon you can use to change the world.)
Give utmost importance in developing the youth now. Harvest your reward a generation later.
Its a legacy.
about 1 year ago
ken2
can we be more focused on articles regarding edification in inaccessible vicinity? thanks
about 1 year ago
ken2
can we be more focused on articles regarding edification in inaccessible vicinity? thanks
about 1 year ago
ken2
can we be more focused on articles regarding edification in inaccessible vicinity? thanks
about 1 year ago
ken2
can we be more focused on articles regarding edification in inaccessible vicinity? thanks
about 1 year ago
Lenard Soriano
i could use this article on my research paper ...Thanks to the author ^_^
about 1 year ago
can you provide a reseach about the inadequate educational system all over the world,philppines and in the central luzon?
over 1 year ago
Regarding those articles stated its considered as a factor that nowadays still our government has a trend of corruption. Thats why the philippines is far behind frm those other countries.
over 2 years ago
One common observation regarding the sad state of tertiary education in the country is the apparent deterioration of the quality of college students. This is evident in the deafening passivity among students in most colleges and universities, coupled with their seeming indifference to participate in shaping their own education. Compared to students of the 60’s and 70’s, students of today have more access to a variety of learning and information resources, yet, their sense of scholarship is way below those of students of yesteryears.
It is ironical that the average college student has gone through ten years of basic education yet when in college, he cannot even speak and write in correct English or make simple mathematical calculatiuons. His tenses are confused, his prepositions are misused, and his number sense is just as nil. The most frustrating part is that he cannot even express his ideas because basically, he cannot form one. Students of today hardly have common sense at all. What they have developed through the years is a sense that is common. The only way of getting an education that students know of is writing anything and everything said by the teacher and memorizing t6hese verbatim for the exams, then losing 90% or more of these come vacation time. As a result, they wander around with a bag of portable mediocrity.
Filipino students are way behind compared to other Asian students. In Singapore, elementary and high school students are already into information technology, creative thinking and lifelong education. College Math and Science in the Philippines are elementary7 school subjects in South Korea and Japan. The University of the Philippines, which once upon a time, was top of the list among Asian universities in now ranked 48. The declining quality of education is inversely proportional to the rising mediocrity of college students through the years. This phenomenon cannot simply attributed to a single cause but to interlocking psycho-social, economic, systemic, cultural, as well as environmental factors.
Think about it before its too late!
about 3 years ago
There's so many things wrong with this article I don't know how these people below could thank you.
1. FILIPINO, not Philipino.
2. Tagalog is spoken in the southern part of Luzon, Ilokano in the north.
3. most private elementary schools have 7 grade levels.
4. NCEE was abolished in 1994, replaced by the NSAT. There's also a CSAT. I never prepared for it because the best universities have their own entrance examinations.
over 3 years ago
it's really great help to me as a new teacher in public school.
over 3 years ago
Please note that there's no more DECS. We only have DepED, TESDA, and CHED.
over 3 years ago
nice one. this article will be very useful with my report. tnx :)
over 3 years ago
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am British but live in the Philippines.
I have recognised the education issues and it's Private Education affordability for most people.
I am intending on building a smal Private School in my Baragay to offer affordable private education in English and Maths and Techical subjects. I will also give scholarships to children who may need it but cannot afford it.
I am unsure yet what ages I will cater for although I would like to start with the children from a young age to offer a good start.
I am finding it difficult to find out information on what rules, regulations and ciriculum I need to adhear to if any.
I hope you may be able to point me in the right direction.
Yours Sincerely
Lee Robinson
almost 4 years ago
Thanks so much for the info it has helped me finish my hard UN project!!!! I owe you!
over 4 years ago
thank you very much for this info
really love it
and it really help me a lot
thank you to whoever made this
continue helping student like me
thank you very much
i owe you my high grades