Republic Act No.

6655

Introduction:
The system of free public basic education has
long been in existence in the Philippines. Free and
compulsory elementary education was established
by the Malolos Constitution in 1899, whereas free
secondary education was formalized with the
enactment of Republic Act No. 6655 in 1988.
Republic Act No. 6655 : May 26, 1988
AN ACT ESTABLISHING AND PROVIDING FOR A FREE
PUBLIC SECONDARY EDUCATION AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES

This Act shall be known as the "Free

Public Secondary Education Act of
1988."
— It is the policy of the State to provide for a
free public secondary education to all
qualified citizens and to promote quality
education at all levels.
 Free Public Secondary Education. — Means that the students
enrolled in secondary course offerings in national high schools,
general comprehensive high schools, trade, technical, vocational,
fishery and agricultural schools, and in schools established,
administered, maintained and funded by local government units,
including city, provincial municipal and barangay high schools,
and those public high schools which may be established by law,
shall be free from payment of tuition and other schools fees;
Limitations:
 The right of any student to avail of free public high school
shall terminate if he fails for two (2) consecutive school
years in the majority of the academic subjects in which he
is enrolled during the course of his study unless such
failure is due to some valid cause.(DepEd Order 44, s.1988)

 However, fees related to membership in the school

community as identification cards, student organizations
and publications may be collected, provided that non-
payment of these fees shall not, in any case, be a bar to
the enrollment or graduation of any student. (Sec 3.c)
Republic Act No. 9155

 AN ACT INSTITUTING A FRAMEWORK OF GOVERNANCE

FOR BASIC EDUCATION, ESTABLISHING AUTHORITY AND
ACCOUNTABILITY, RENAMING THE DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION, CULTURE AND SPORTS AS THE DEPARTMENT
OF EDUCATION, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
 Sec.1. This Act shall be known as the
“Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001.”

 SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is hereby declared the policy of the

State to protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality basic
education and to make such education accessible to all by providing
all Filipino children a free and compulsory education in the
elementary level and free education in the high school level. Such
education shall also include alternative learning systems for out-of-
school youth and adult learners. It shall be the goal of basic education
to provide them with the skills, knowledge and values they need to
become caring, self- reliant, productive and patriotic citizens.
Republic Act No. 10533
May 15, 2013

AN ACT ENHANCING THE PHILIPPINE BASIC EDUCATION SYSTEM BY

STRENGTHENING ITS CURRICULUM AND INCREASING THE NUMBER OF YEARS
FOR BASIC EDUCATION, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREOF AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES

Sec.1.This act shall be known as the” Enhanced Basic Education act of 2013”
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — The State shall establish, maintain and support
a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant to the
needs of the people, the country and society-at-large.
Section 6. Enhanced Basic Education Program. For
purposes of this IRR and pursuant to Section 4 of the Act,
the enhanced basic education program encompasses at
least one (1) year of kindergarten education, six (6)
years of elementary education, and six (6) years of
secondary education, in that sequence. Secondary
education includes four (4) years of junior high school
and two (2) years of senior high school education. The
enhanced basic education program may likewise be
delivered through the alternative learning system.
Sec 6.
 Kindergarten Education is the first stage of compulsory and mandatory
formal education which consists of one (1) year of preparatory education
for children at least five (5) years old as a prerequisite for Grade 1.
 Elementary Education refers to the second stage of compulsory basic
education which is composed of six (6) years. The entrant age to this level
is typically six (6) years old.
 Secondary Education refers to the third stage of compulsory basic
education. It consists of four (4) years of junior high school education and
two (2) years of senior high school education. The entrant age to the junior
and senior high school levels are typically twelve (12) and sixteen (16)
years old, respectively.
Section 7. Compulsory Basic Education

 . It shall be compulsory for every parent or guardian or

other persons having custody of a child to enroll such
child in basic education, irrespective of learning delivery
modes and systems, until its completion, as provided for
by existing laws, rules and regulations.
Section 8. Inclusiveness of Enhanced Basic Education.
 Inclusiveness of enhanced basic education shall mean the implementation of
programs designed to address the physical, intellectual, psychosocial, and cultural
needs of learners, which shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following:
 8.1. Programs for the Gifted and Talented. These shall refer to comprehensive
programs for the gifted and talented learners in all levels of basic education.
 8.2. Programs for Learners with Disabilities. These shall refer to the
comprehensive programs designed for learners with disabilities which may be
home-, school-, center- or community-based.
 8.3. Madrasah Program. This shall refer to the comprehensive program using the
Madrasah curriculum prescribed by the DepEd, in coordination with the
Commission on Muslim Filipinos, for Muslim learners in public and private school
Sec.8. Inclusiveness of Enhanced Basic Education.
 8.4. Indigenous Peoples (IP) Education Program. This shall refer to the program that
supports education initiatives undertaken through formal, non-formal, and informal
modalities with emphasis on any of, but not limited to, the key areas of: Indigenous
Knowledge Systems and Practices and community history; indigenous languages; Indigenous
Learning System (ILS) and community life cycle-based curriculum and assessment;
educational goals, aspirations, and competencies specific to the Indigenous Cultural
Community (ICC); engagement of elders and other community members in the teaching-
learning process, assessment, and management of the initiative, recognition and continuing
practice of the community’s ILS; and the rights and responsibilities of ICCs.
 8.5. Programs for Learners under Difficult Circumstances. This shall refer to the timely
and responsive programs for learners under difficult circumstances, such as, but not limited
to: geographic isolation; chronic illness; displacement due to armed conflict, urban
resettlement, or disasters; child abuse and child labor practices.
Section 9. Acceleration.

 Acceleration of learners in public and private basic educational institutions

shall be allowed, consistent with DepEd rules and regulations.
Curriculum
 Standards and Principles. The DepEd shall adhere to the following standards
and principles, when appropriate, in developing the enhanced basic education
curriculum:
 (a) The curriculum shall be learner-centered, inclusive and developmentally
appropriate;
 (b) The curriculum shall be relevant, responsive and research-based;
 (c) The curriculum shall be gender- and culture-sensitive;
 (d) The curriculum shall be contextualized and global;
 (e) The curriculum shall use pedagogical approaches that are constructivist,
inquiry-based, reflective, collaborative and integrative;
Curriculum
 The curriculum shall adhere to the principles and framework of Mother Tongue-
Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) which starts from where the learners are
and from what they already know proceeding from the known to the unknown;
instructional materials and capable teachers to implement the MTB-MLE
curriculum shall be available. For this purpose, MTB-MLE refers to formal or non-
formal education in which the learner’s mother tongue and additional languages
are used in the classroom;

 (g) The curriculum shall use the spiral progression approach to ensure mastery of
knowledge and skills after each level; and
 (h) The curriculum shall be flexible enough to enable and allow schools to
localize, indigenize and enhance the same based on their respective educational
and social contexts.
 Production and Development of Materials. The production and
development of locally produced teaching and learning materials
shall be encouraged. The approval of these materials shall be
devolved to the regional and division education unit in accordance
with national policies and standards.

 Medium of Teaching and Learning. Pursuant to Sections 4 and 5 of

the Act, basic education shall be delivered in languages understood
by the learners as language plays a strategic role in shaping the
formative years of learners.
REPUBLIC ACT No. 10931
known as the “Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education
Act of 2017”
Through authority vested in the Unified Student Financial
Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) Board under
Section 18 of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education
Act
POLICY: promote social justice and the advancement of nation
building recognizes the inalienable right of all Filipinos to quality
education and thus protects and promotes the right of all Filipino
students to accessible quality education.
 Exceptions to TES
The following students are ineligible to avail themselves of the TES benefit:
for Higher Education:
a) HEIs
(1) students who did not qualify under the admission and retention requirements
of eligible SUCs, LUCs, and private HEIs or under any other future
qualification policies that the UniFAST Board may mandate;
(2) (2) students in eligible SUCs, LUCs, and private HEIs who have exceeded the
Maximum Residency Rule of their programs;
(3) and (3) students enrolled in programs and/or in HEIs not included in the
Registry, subject to the transitory provisions in Section 57 of the IRR
(b) Technical-Vocational Education and Training:
(1) students enrolled in TESDA-registered programs in any TVI who
availed of government-funded StuFAPs other than the Free TVET
provision;
(2) students who did not undertake and/or qualify under the TVIs’
screening/assessment procedure, trade test, or skills competency
evaluation; and
(3) students enrolled in TVET programs not included in the Registry,
subject to the transitory provisions in Section 57 of the IRR
. Exceptions to Free HE
The following students are ineligible to avail of Free Higher Education:
(a) students who have already obtained a bachelor’s degree or comparable
undergraduate degree from any public or private HEI;
(b) students who fail to comply with the admission and/or retention policies
of the SUCs or LUCs, provided that the failure to comply with the SUC or
LUC’s retention policies results in the student’s permanent
disqualification from enrolling in any SUC or LUC;
(c) students who fail to complete their bachelor’s degree or comparable
undergraduate degree within a year after the period prescribed in their
program: i. provided, that in the case of shiftees, any semester wherein
the student has availed of the benefits of free higher education will be
subtracted from the expected duration of the current program in which
the student is enrolled;
Provided:
 In the case of transferees, any semester wherein the student has
availed of any form of government funded
 in the case of returning students and other students who went on
a leave of absence (LOA), the determination and computation of
their free higher education benefit shall be without prejudice to
the most expedient way of completing their studies;
 finally, that the SUCs and LUCs shall decide on the cases that
merit the extension of the availment of free higher education;
and
 students who voluntarily opt out of the free higher education
provision. Students who are not eligible to avail of the Free
Higher Education provision shall be charged tuition and other
school fees as determined by the Governing Boards of the SUCs
and LUCs.