There are three types of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines: the State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), the CHED-Supervised Institutions (CSI) and the Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs). While the SUCs are chartered public institutions established by law, administered and subsidized by the government, the CSIs are non-chartered public post-secondary institutions also established by law, administered and subsidized by the government. PHEIs are established under the Corporation Code and are covered and governed by special laws, standards, guidelines and policies set by CHED. In addition, there are other government public secondary and post-secondary technical-vocational institutions that offer higher education programmes (UNESCO 2009a).
The total number of institutions that comprise the TVET delivery network in the country is approximately 3,500 (i.e. 2,000 private and 1,500 public). The institutions include higher education institutions, industry-based training centres, NGO-based training centres, LGU-based training centres as well as schools and training centres supervised by TESDA (UNESCO 2009a). In order to improve quality of TVET, TESDA has set out Training Regulations which serve as a basis for the development of competency-based training programmes, particularly focusing on curriculum and learning materials design and training delivery and assessment (IBE 2011).
The growing incidence of household poverty and the increasing population in the country, among other factors, have heightened the problem of limited access to higher education. There are approximately 2.4 million students enrolled into about 1,700 Higher Education Institutions. As a response measure, the Government operates a Student Loan Programme for Centers of Excellence with the aim of widening access to higher education, especially for the poor but gifted students (IBE 2003, UNESCO 2009a).
In 2007, the TVET sub-sector total enrolment figure was above 1.5 million students, a significant increase from about 900,000 in 2004 and 350,500 in 2000. The noteworthy improvement in access to TVET is attributed to the increased number of TVET providers (from 1,700 in 2000 to over 5,000 in 2007) and the expanding capacity of the existing providers (Syjuco n.d.).
The CHED has instituted the practice of licensing Higher Education Institutions and accrediting programmes offered by each HEI. During the year 2007, approximately 2,274 academic programmes were accredited and roughly 386 HEIs had all their programmes accredited. As shown by below average pass rates of around 35% in the annual professional licensure examinations, accreditation of academic programmes appears not to be adequately addressing the issue of quality education in higher education institutions (UNESCO 2009a).
Under the TVET sub-sector, all institutions are required to register their courses to ensure that they meet the minimum standards as defined by the industry under the training regulations. Subsequently, approximately 3,000 programmes have been audited while at the same time over 1,700 institution-based and over 100 enterprise-based programmes were registered. TESDA pursues the assessment and certification of the competencies of middle-level skilled workers through the Philippine TVET Qualifications and Certification System (PTQACS). The assessment process determines whether a graduate worker can perform to the standards expected in the workplace based on defined competencies. The challenges under TVET include among others: the recurring societal bias against TVET; questionable effectiveness of ladderized/hierarchical link between TVET and higher education; problem of labour market demand-supply mismatch; and the need for more responsive TVET investment (UNESCO 2009a).
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) supervises the tertiary degree programmes and acts as a collegial body in formulating plans, policies and strategies relating to higher education and its operations. The CHED was created by the Republic Act 7722 of 1994 (UNESCO 2009a).
Under Republic Act 7796 of 1995, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) was established to supervise non-degree technical-vocational programs. TESDA is mandated to provide relevant, accessible, high quality and efficient technical education and skills development (UNESCO 2009a).
The national priority areas under higher education in the Philippines are illustrated in the Higher Education Development Plan 2001-2010 and they include among others: broadening the access of economically and socially disadvantaged groups to higher education; expanding alternative learning systems and modalities of higher education; improving the quality of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs); aligning HEIs’ programmes with the demands of domestic and global markets; strengthening research and extension activities in HEIs; and rationalizing governance and financing higher education in a manner that would unleash institutional creativity and entrepreneurship (UNESCO 2009a).
Under the TVET sub-sector, the national priorities are set out in the National Technical Education and Skills Development Plan 2005-2009 and anchored in the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP 2004-2010). These priorities include: strengthening career guidance for the youth; providing scholarships and other student assistance programmes; intensifying the availability and quality of skills-based training programs; providing skills training and competency assessment and certification services; increasing worker productivity through programme certification and competency standards development; implementing a competency-based TVET system; providing resource-based training for enterprise development; and modernization of public TVET facilities (UNESCO 2009a).
