System of Private Secondary School in the Philippines

By: Rolando S. Delgado Jr.

The education system of the Philippines has been highly influenced by the
countrys colonial history. That history has included periods of Spanish, American and Japanese
rule and occupation. The most important and lasting contributions came during Americas
occupation of the country, which began in 1898. It was during that period that English was
introduced as the primary language of instruction and a system of public education was first
establisheda system modeled after the United States school system and administered by the
newly established Department of Instruction.
The United States left a lasting impression on the Philippine school system. Several
colleges and universities were founded with the goal of educating the nations teachers. In 1908,
the University of the Philippines was chartered, representing the first comprehensive public
university in the nations history.
Like the United States, the Philippine nation has an extensive and highly inclusive system
of education, including higher education. In the present day, the United States continues to
influence the Philippines education system, as many of the countrys teachers and professors
have earned advanced degrees from United States universities.
Although the Philippine system of education has long served as a model for other
Southeast Asian countries, in recent years that system has deteriorated. This is especially true in
the more remote and poverty-stricken regions of the country. While Manila, the capital and
largest city in the Philippines, boasts a primary school completion rate of nearly 100 percent,
other areas of the country, including Mindanao and Eastern Visayas, have a primary school
completion rate of only 30 percent or less. Not surprisingly, students who hail from Philippine

urban areas tend to score much higher in subjects such as mathematics and science than students
in the more rural areas of the country.
The term education system generally refers to public schooling, not private schooling,
and more commonly to kindergarten through high school programs. Schools or school districts
are typically the smallest recognized form of education system and countries are the largest.
States are also considered to have education systems.
Simply put, an education system comprises everything that goes into educating students at the
federal, state, or community levels:

Laws, policies, and regulations

Public funding, resource allocations, and procedures for determining funding levels

State and district administrative offices, school facilities, and transportation vehicles

Human resources, staffing, contracts, compensation, and employee benefits

Books, computers, teaching resources, and other learning materials

And, of course, countless other contributing elements

Private schools, also known as independent schools, non-governmental, or non-state

schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments.

A total of 13,921 Private Education establishments were covered in the 2012 Census of
Philippine Statistics Agency.
Private Secondary School System is governed by the Deped Order no. 88, s. 2010
otherwise known as REVISED MANUAL OF REGULATION FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN

BASIC EDUCATION, DO 11, s. 2011 AMENDMENTS TO THE 2010 REVISED MANUAL

OF REGULATIONS FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN BASIC EDUCATION and DO 43, s. 2013
IMPLEMENTING RULE AND REGULATION (IRR) OF RA10533 OTHERWISE KNOWN AS
THE ENHANCED EDUCATION ACT OF2013