The Philippine Higher Education

INTRODUCTION

1590 - the Universidad de San Ignacio was founded in Manila by the Jesuits, initially as the Colegio-
Seminario de San Ignacio. By the second half of the 17th century, the university was incorporated as a
mere College of Medicine and Pharmacy into the University of Santo Tomás.

1595 - The Colegio de San Ildefonso was established in Cebú by the Society of Jesus. The school closed
down in 1768, but the present-day University of San Carlos makes the claim of tracing its roots to the
arguably defunct 16th century school. This claim has been the subject of numerous debates.

1601 - The Jesuits also founded the Colegio de San José.

1611 - The University of Santo Tomas was established as the Colegio de Nuestra Señora de Santisimo
Rosario and gained university status in 1645. The university is generally recognized as the educational
institution in the Philippines with the oldest extant university charter. On November 20, 1645,
Pope Innocent X elevated it to University.

1620 - The Dominicans on their part had the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán in Manila.

1640 - The Universidad de San Felipe de Austria was established in Manila. It was the first public
university created by the Spanish government in the Philippines. It closed down in 1643.

1859 – Jesuits took over the management of a school that became the Escuela Municipal (later
renamed Ateneo Municipal de Manila in 1865, now the Ateneo de Manila University).

1871 - several schools of medicine and pharmacy were opened.

University education was started in the Philippines during the early part of the 17th century.
Originally, the colleges and universities were open only to the Spaniards and those with Spanish blood
(mestizos). It was only during the 19th century that these universities began accepting native Filipinos.

The Philippine education system underwent further changes after the country gained
independence in 1946. The government implemented reforms that aimed to make education accessible
to all Filipinos, regardless of their socioeconomic status. The 1987 Philippine Constitution states that
“the State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall
take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.” Despite efforts to make education a
key priority in the country since independence in 1946, the Philippine education system continues to
face significant challenges that prevent many Filipinos from accessing education.
PHILIPPINE HIGHER EDUCATION

Philippine higher education (HE) plays an important role in the country's economy and is vital in
achieving global competitiveness.
The higher education in the Philippines is offered through various degree programs or courses
by a wide selection of colleges and universities (HEIs). These are administered and regulated by the
Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

Current State of Higher Education in the Philippines

(Where Are We Now?)

Attendance is high given our income level. The enrollment rate in Philippine higher
education is on par with middle-income countries' average. This is, however,
rapidly eroding as neighboring countries continue to rise while the country's enrollment rate
has stagnated.

Quality is uneven, with very few universities are rated in the top 1000 universities of the
world. Even if graduates have served in global labor markets for decades (King 2020), only a
handful of universities landed in the top 1000 universities of the world. The passing rate in
PBEs is below 40%. In terms of inputs, only half of the faculty have graduate
degrees, and less than 20% have Ph.D. degrees. Less than 30% of theEIs have accredited
programs. This may have been carried forward with struggling quality in basic education.

Inequitable access persists. Equity in access remains elusive. In 2019, while 49% of the richest decile
attend higher education, only 17% from the poorest decile can do so. The poor are underrepresented
even in public HEIs. It is entirely understandable that an even more skewed distribution in favor of richer
students can be found in private HEIs.

Underdeveloped research and innovation system. The Science, Technology, Research and Innovation
for Development (STRIDE) program assessed the Philippine innovation ecosystem by looking at five
components, namely:

(a) education and human capital development;

(b) research and knowledge creation;

(c) collaboration between universities and industry;

(d) intellectual property, protection, licensing, and commercialization of technologies; and

(e) start-up companies based on technological innovation using a survey of perception of ecosystem
stakeholders (Klich and Dix 2020).

The private education sector is steadily being marginalized. The share in enrollment of private HEIs has
declined by 16 percentage points in the last 20 years or by about one percentage point per year from AY
1999-2000 to 2019-2020.
(Why Are We Here?)

Low quality starts from basic education. The low quality in higher education can be traced to low
quality in basic education. The inputs in the form of low teacher qualifications also contribute to low
quality.

The recent changes in public financing programs will not solve the equity in access issue. The equity of
access issue cannot be readily solved at the tertiary level since most of the poor do not reach college.

Education policy is marginalizing the private sector. The growth in the SUCs and LUCs is one reason why
the private sector has a declining share.

The lack of exposure to research culture and academe-industry linkages that are in still in an emergent
stage. The drivers that are expected to spur innovation are absent. As mentioned earlier, the
assessment done in Vea (2014) revealed that the country is in an emergent stage in the four forms of
industry-academe collaboration, namely: collaborative R&D, commission research, technology licensing,
and the creation of spin-off companies.

Key Challenges in Higher Education

1. Access
2. Inclusion and Equity
3. Quality
Critical Issues
1. Inequitable and inadequate household income issues and poverty
2. Lack and poor implementation of laws and policies for inclusion and equity,
3. the profit-seeking nature of nonsectarian private higher education institutions,
4. and the varying quality of higher education institutions and programs.
Recent Developments
1. Universal Tertiary Education Act of 2017
2. ongoing international benchmarking
3. multistakeholder participation in developing minimum curriculum standards
Key Trends
1. increased focus on the internationalization of higher education
2. enhancing global and regional partnerships
3. and the shift to outcomes-based competency standards

Resources:

Aniceto C. Orbeta Jr. and Vicente B. Paqueo, Philippine Education: Situationer, Challenges, and Ways
Forward, DISCUSSION PAPER SERIES NO. 2022-23, RESEARCH INFORMATION DEPARTMENT, Philippine
Institute for Development Studies, https://www.pids.gov.ph

Tan, E. (2011) "What’s wrong with Philippine higher education,” The Philippine Review of Economics, Vol
48(1), 147-184.
Chao, R.Y. (2023). Higher Education in Philippines. In: Symaco, L.P., Hayden, M. (eds) International
Handbook on Education in South East Asia. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer,
Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8136-3_7-3

https://brokenchalk.org/educational-challenges-in-the-philippines/

Prepared by:

Angelica B. Catan

MAEd-IE Student

I. Higher Education Strategies in the Philippines

A. Establishment of Greater Uniformity in Accrediting Standards and Procedure for Higher Education
Institutions

Higher Education Development Plan introduced the improvement of quality assurance system to
upgrade higher education curricula to international standards to achieve this the following reform will
be introduced

 A monitoring and evaluation system will be institutionalized within the CHED

 The system of accreditation will be strengthened
 The professional board examination will be upgraded

Reform in Quality Assurance

 Revised the higher education curricula

 Identification of minimum learning outcomes and core competencies

Monitoring and Evaluation System will be established within CHED to ensure that

 Student outcomes reach international standards

 HEIs perform effectively in terms of continuous improvement, efficient use of resources and
high graduation rates
 HEIs is effective in addressing policy issues including those relating to equity
 Information about higher education in the Philippines will be disseminated effectively

B. Rationalizing the Higher Education System and Improve Efficiency

Another major reform package is the rationalization of higher education system

 The first intervention will lay the foundation for a more efficient and effective system in
delivering public higher education and services and for a more flexible regulatory framework for
private higher education provision.
 The second will improve management at the sector level by improving the higher education
management information system, and introducing and implementing graduate tracer studies
  The third intervention will strengthen management of higher education institutions through
training programs for managers of both public and private HEIs

The main areas of reform are;

 Program mapping to identify areas for program duplication, over-served and underserved areas
and redirect State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) program to priority disciplines and towards
geographic areas that are not served.
 Development of an HEI typology which could be used for funding allocation. It will also provide a
basis for identifying SUCS with the greatest potentials for development to international
standards.
 Corporatization of SUCS- There are two ways to achieve corporatization. One is by privatizing all
or some aspects of the management of the SUCs or the transfer of SUCs to the private sector.
The program will try to identify SUCS which could promote fiscal autonomy. Assistance will also
be provided to implement the corporatization scheme in selected SUCs.

“Rationalizing the Higher Education System and Improve Efficiency”

Rationalization of HEIs and Programs

- within a moratorium period on the opening of new programs especially in
oversubscribed disciplines. The objective is to lay the foundation for a more efficient and
effective system in delivering quality public higher education services and for a more
flexible regulatory framework for private higher education provision.

Components:

1. Aligning HEI programs with national development goals.

• Job-Skills Matching Project: In order to produce highly competent and
competitive graduates, HEIs are encouraged to offer programs that are in
demand and responsive to the needs of industry, both domestic and
international.
• Relevant and Responsive Research, Development and Extension
(RDE): Under this program, CHED supports the conduct of RDE aimed at
generating, adapting and transferring or applying new knowledge and
technologies for improving productivity and livelihood, promoting peace,
empowering women, protecting the environment, reducing disaster devastation,
and alleviating poverty.
 • Gender and Development (GAD) Programs: This program includes
advocacy and gender sensitivity activities to promote gender parity in education,
equal access to scholarships by both genders, and interventions to assist female
students with extreme personal situations that prevent them from completing
their higher education.
2. Typology and Mapping of HEIs and Programs: A system of classifying HEIs is
being designed based on their mandates and functions vis-a-vis national
development goals. This typology will be harmonized with quality assurance
criteria to allow HEIs to focus and excel within their respective classifications and
be recognized for such excellence.

3. Amalgamation of HEIs and Programs: to restructure the higher education

system specifically the public component consisting of SUCs/Local Universities
and Colleges (LUCs), and other government schools to improve efficiency in the
delivery of quality programs, minimize duplication and promote complementation
between and among public and private HEIs.

Improve Efficiency: Rationalize the public Higher Education System

1. Rationalizing the number, distribution and growth of SUC’s and LUC’s

 Mapping of Programs and Institutions – to identify areas of program
duplication, overserved and underserved areas, and redirect SUC’s/LUC’s
programs to priority disciplines and towards geographic areas that are not
adequately covered by the private or existing higher education institutions.
 Pilot implementation of governance and restructuring models. The
outcomes of the integration program that integrated 102 CHED-
supervised institutions to host SUC’s, DepEd or TESDA, and the phase-
out of non-laboratory programs in SUC” should be reviewed to identify
learnings that could inform and guide the design and implementation of
various models of governance and restructuring.

2. Rationalizing SUC’s/LUC’s program Offerings

 Implementation of the Typology of HEI’s. A typology of HEI’s has been
developed which classifies and defines the roles of degree level
institutions. Once applied, this rational Classification would minimize
duplication of program offerings and promote specialization and
complementation.
  Review and evaluation of SUC’s/LUC’s mandates and their program
offerings and phase out/closure of programs outside the mandates of the
institutions.
 Phase out/closure of inefficient and duplicative programs particularly
those that tend to crowd out private provision, and
 Formulation and offering of programs that are responsive to industry
needs in the government’s five priority areas for job generation and
economic development-semiconductor and electronics, business process
outsourcing, tourism, agriculture and fisheries, and general infrastructure.

3. Rationalizing resource utilization and maximizing resource generation by

SUC’s.

 Expanded implementation of the Normative Funding Formula (NFF)

in the allocation of SUC’s budget. The NFF applies a set of prescribed
objective criteria and norms that are designed to promote and reward
quality instruction, research and extension services, financial prudence
and responsibility.
 Design and adaption of school fee scheme that would allow cost
recovery without limiting access among the poor, guided by the principles
underlying the socialized tuition fee scheme where students from
financially capable families pay a larger share of the cost or tuition fee
structure.
 Assets inventory, management and development for resource
generation. SUC’s shall be encourage and assisted to prepare and
implement business or development plans that would make use of idle
lands and assets, and to engage in income generating projects, in
partnership with the private sector if feasible.
 Improving Public Financial Management of SUC’s and synchronizing
this with GIFMIS (Government Integrated Financial and Management
Information System).

4. Strengthening quality assurance in SUCs and LUCs

- Intensive monitoring and evaluation of SUCs and LUCs and their
programs shall be conducted to ensure compliance with minimum
standards.
5. Upgrading qualification of Faculty
- This component seeks to improve the quality of higher education by
upgrading the academic qualifications of university and college faculty.
6. Upgrading State universities to International Standards
 - The strategy is to concentrate public resources in a few institutions in
order to achieve critical mass and create appreciable impact.
Investments shall be focused on a realistic number of Institutions that
could be develop into globally competitive universities.
7. Modernizing facilities in developing SUCs
- Funding assistance for facilities upgrading shall be provided to
developing SUCs - those classified as Level III, II, and I, particularly
those that are located outside the highly urbanized areas.
8. Strengthened Student Financial Assistance Programs (STUFAPs)
- The ongoing student financial assistance programs consist of merit-
based scholarships, essentially need-based grants-in-aid, and loans.
The system or financial aid requires major reforms to improve its
equity, efficiency and effectiveness. This will be streamlined and
targeted better to benefit the really poor and disadvantaged. The
selection system will be improved, and administrative procedures
simplified.
9. Strengthening Public HEI Management
- An Executive Development Program will be designed and implemented
to enhance the capability of managers of public HEIs to implement the
above reforms and initiatives.

Edesa C. Caloning
3rd Reporter
Group 2- 4th Speaker Hand Out

Topic: “Strengthening Teacher Competencies in Higher Education, Through Major Staff Development
Program”.

The Philippine higher education reform program seeks to improve the quality of higher education by
building the capacity for managers of HEIs in both public and private institutions through training and
development activities. The reform will also include International bench marking, Pro vision of
specialized courses in strategic planning, Quality management, Income generation, and the use of data
from management information systems.

International bench marking

International indicators provide an opportunity to compare a country’s performance with that of other
countries, to identify similarities and differences between one system and others, and to suggest new
approaches to the challenge of providing a world-class education.

Pro vision of specialized courses in strategic planning

A strategic plan increases communication and engagement. Strategic planning in education is critical in
settings where trust is paramount. Educational institutions—at all levels—work on the understanding
that one group (the educators) has knowledge they can impart, share, or coax out in another group (the
students).

Quality management

Quality management in education is a process that involves using principles and techniques to improve
the quality of educational services.

Applying Total Quality Management In Academics

* Principle #1: Synergistic Relationships.

* Principle #2: Continuous Improvement and Self Evaluation.

* Principle #3: A System of Ongoing Process.

* Principle #4: Leadership.

(a) Synergistic Relationships

The very application of the first pillar of TQM to education emphasizes the synergistic relationship
between the "suppliers" and "customers". The concept of synergy suggests that performance and
production is enhanced by pooling the talent and experience of individuals. In a classroom, teacher-
student teams are the equivalent of industry's front-line workers. The product of their successful work
together is the development of the student's capabilities, interests. and character.

(b) Continuous Improvement and Self-Evaluation

The second pillar of TOM applied to education is the total dedication to continuous improvement,
personally, and collectively. TQM emphasizes self-evaluation as part of a continuous improvement
process.

(c) A System of Ongoing Process

The third pillar is the recognition of the organization as a system and the work done within the
organization must be seen as an ongoing process.

(d) Leadership

The fourth TQM principle is that the success of TQM is the responsibility of top management. The school
teachers must establish the context in which students can best achieve their potential through the
continuous improvement that results from teachers and students working together.

Income generation

Income-generating supplemented the budget of the university. The income is beneficial to hire
additional project personnel, purchase supplies, materials and equipment, and improve facilities needed
for instruction, research, extension, training, and productive activities.
The use of data from management information systems.

Education Management Information System (EMIS) is a system that monitors the performance of
education programs offered by the institute and manages the distribution and allocation of educational
resources.

Prepared by:

Ira Jenny P. Carandang

MPRM-2
POLICIES, STANDARDS and GUIDELINES FOR TRANSNATIONAL EDUCATION
(TNE) PROGRAMS

CHED MEMORANDUM ORDER (CMO)

No. 62
Series of 2016

Article 1
GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND POLICIES

 The Higher Education Act of 1994 created the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
and provides that the powers and functions of CHED shall include setting standards and
monitoring and evaluating programs and institutions of higher learning.
 It is the policy and intention of CHED to internationalize Philippine higher education in
order to facilitate the development of a human resource base that is responsive to the needs
of the times. CHED recognizes that globalization and liberalization of trade in goods and
services worldwide have facilitated the growth in higher education internationalization,
including transnational education (TNE), by which is meant higher education that is
delivered in a country other than the one where an awarding institution is based.
 These phenomena, together with developments in information and communication
technologies, promote access to foreign qulaification and enmcourage Philippine
Universities, colleges and training institution to offer their programs and qualifications
abroad, in partnership with counterparts overseas.
 CHED promotes Open and Distance Learning (ODL) through tertiary education as an
appropriate , efficient and effective system of delivering quality higher and technical
educational services in the country (RA 10650).
 CHED encourages the utilization of quality Open Educational Resources (OER) to promote
universal access and the transmission of information and knowledge.
Article II
DEFINITION OF TERMS

Article III
 GENERAL OBJECTIVES
The CMO is intended to :
1. Articulate to CHED Policies, Standards and Guidelines on TNE Programs;
2. Promote greater access to quality higher education through TNE;
3. Promote good practice in Philippine TNE Programs.
4. Safeguard the interests of students in TNE programs offered by PHEIs and FHEP’s;
5. Facilitate the smooth operation of higher education programs offered via TNE by articulating
and disseminating clear procedures for approval, monitoring and evaluation, and
6. Ensure that TNE programs are attuned with the domestic and international legal and
regulatory frameworks.
Article IV
CATEGORIES OF TRANSNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
1. Academic Franchising
2. Articulation
3. Branch Campus
4. International Branch Campuses
5. International Extension Program
6. Joint and double degrees
7. Online, blended, and distance learning
8. TNE Offshore institution
9. Twinning arrangements
10. Validation

TRENDS AND ISSUES on Transnational Education

A number of administrative and legislative challenges exist according to higher
education institution representatives. Namely, there not being enough trained
faculty in the Philippines who could administer or teach the TNE degree or
course, processes being too bureaucratic and not streamlined enough. There
was also a dearth of information. The fees and infrastructure costs were also a
big concern.
In terms of delivery mode, a TNE programme or degree that is delivered wholly
locally would be preferable due to the perhaps unaffordable nature of living
abroad for Filipinos and their reluctance to leave their homes.
There is a pervasive lack of knowledge about TNE programmes, their nature
and how to access them. A more centralised system should be in place for TNE
and for scholarship schemes – a onestop shop where potential students can
obtain all the information they need about TNE and available programmes.
The opportunity to obtain an accredited degree from an internationally
recognised institution is the number one consideration for students. All were
very mindful to increase their employability. TNE partners should consider
stressing the reputation and accreditation of their higher education institution
and in turn the degree that would be awarded when marketing to students.
The number one concern about TNE mentioned by students were the high fees
and the non-regulation of the TNE degree or of faculty teaching the course.
Students would very much consider studying on a TNE degree from the UK: the
reputation of the UK is highly regarded, and reputation is very important to
students. Perceived increased employability in return.
Administrative challenges were also frequently mentioned, and perhaps the
biggest was appropriate faculty training (and training them according to
CHED’s new curriculum and standards, as well as the TNE partner’s
requirements) and meeting the demand. Concerns have been raised by
representatives about the lack of appropriately qualified staff and faculty.
Especially that CHED was overhauling the way core disciplines, like
mathematics for example, are taught. Faculty will hence need to be trained in
this respect as well.

References
CHED MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 62 Series of 2016
www.britishcouncil.org/education-intelligence
Transnational education in the Philippines Opportunities and Challenges
Prepared by:
MARY FLOR T. CAALIM