Philippine Educational Status
Philippine education is patterned after the American system, with English as the medium of instruction. Schools are classified into public (government) or private (non-government). The general pattern of formal education follows four stages: Pre-primary level (nursery, kindergarten and preparatory) offered in most private schools; six years of primary education, followed by four years of secondary education.
College education usually takes four, sometimes five and in some cases as in medical and law schools, as long as eight years. Graduate schooling is an additional two or more years. Classes in Philippine schools start in June and end in March. Colleges and universities follow the semestral calendar from June-October and November-March. There are a number of foreign schools with study programs similar to those of the mother country. An overall literacy rate was estimated at 95.9 percent for the total population in 2003, 96 % for males and 95.8 % for females.
Compared with other countries, the literacy rate in the Philippines is quite high. Moreover enrolment rate is 99. 9% in primary level and 77. 8% in secondary level, which is higher than Singapore and the highest in ASEAN countries. However while statistics on educational attainment may be high, the economic situation in the Philippines is still not so good. The Philippines has succeeded in expanding its education in quantitative terms, but now they have to think about “Quality of education”.
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
College education usually takes four, sometimes five and in some cases as in medical and law schools, as long as eight years. Graduate schooling is an additional two or more years. Classes in Philippine schools start in June and end in March. Colleges and universities follow the semestral calendar from June-October and November-March. There are a number of foreign schools with study programs similar to those of the mother country. An overall literacy rate was estimated at 95.9 percent for the total population in 2003, 96 % for males and 95.8 % for females.
Compared with other countries, the literacy rate in the Philippines is quite high. Moreover enrolment rate is 99. 9% in primary level and 77. 8% in secondary level, which is higher than Singapore and the highest in ASEAN countries. However while statistics on educational attainment may be high, the economic situation in the Philippines is still not so good. The Philippines has succeeded in expanding its education in quantitative terms, but now they have to think about “Quality of education”.
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