EDUCATION IN THE

PHILIPPINES
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There are three agencies that handle the
different levels of the Philippines 
education system: The Department of Education
(DepEd) oversees basic (pre-university)
education. The Commission on Higher Education
manages tertiary and graduate education, and
the Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority (TESDA) oversees
technical-vocational courses and middle
education.

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Most of the problems in the
Philippines education system
stem from a lack of funding: low
teacher salaries, a shortage of
classrooms and lack of
facilities such as laboratories.

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Additionally, there is a lack of
educational equality between regions:
government policy tends to favour
schools near Manila, with regions
farthest from the capital (such as
Mindanao) showing lower levels of
student performance.

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The pre-university education system in the
Philippines is the K to 12 Program (also
known as K-12), which covers 13 years of
education from kindergarten to Grade 12. It
was introduced over a six-year period from
2011 to 2017, to bring the Philippines
education system in line with the rest of the
world. 

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Basic education in the
Philippines

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Kindergarten and elementary school
Central to the K-12 reforms was the provision of
one year of kindergarten schooling for every child
in the Philippines, which is done before elementary
school. Elementary school in the Philippines covers
grades 1-6. 

The K-12 reforms to elementary schooling included

a curriculum better suited to the needs of Christian
and Muslim pupils; Muslim children now have the
opportunity to learn Arabic.

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Junior and Senior high school
Junior high school in the Philippines covers grades
7-10. Senior high school (SHS) in the Philippines
covers grades 11-12 and was introduced in 2016 as
part of the K to 12 program. 
As well as following the core curriculum, students
will choose to specialize in one of four tracks:
Academic (including business, STEM topics and
humanities), Technical-Vocational-Livelihood
(including TESDA courses in cookery and
welding), Sports, and Arts & Design.

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Tertiary education in the Philippines
Philippine tertiary education typically takes four or five years, or
up to eight years for subjects such as law and medicine.
Postgraduate study takes an additional two years or more. Classes
begin in June and end in March the following year; most
universities follow a semester pattern, with a few following a
trimester pattern.
Colleges are classified as tertiary institutions that typically offer a
handful of professional or specialised courses such as
Computing, Maritime Studies or Nursing. 
Universities, by definition, must offer at least six four-year
undergraduate courses, which must include Basic Science,
Mathematics, Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. Colleges and
universities may be public or private: the latter may be either
religion-based or secular.

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Colleges are classified as tertiary institutions that
typically offer a handful of professional or
specialized courses such as Computing, Maritime
Studies or Nursing. 
Universities, by definition, must offer at least six
four-year undergraduate courses, which must
include Basic Science, Mathematics, Liberal Arts
and Social Sciences. Colleges and universities may
be public or private: the latter may be either
religion-based or secular.

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Education in the Philippines has come a long way
since pre-colonial times. While the standard of
education is high, young would-be graduates can
always benefit from expanding their knowledge.
With the courses we’ve linked to throughout this
article, you can augment your formal education and 
enhance your employability when you’re ready to
enter the world of work.
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