The 1987 Constitution of the Republic of The Philippines stipulates 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” (Government of the Philippines 1987) The Republic Act No. 9155 of 2001 is an Act instituting a framework of governance for basic education and it declares the policy of the State “to protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality basic education, 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” (Government of the Philippines 2001). Furthermore, the Republic Act No. 9500 of 2008 declares that it is the policy of the State to strengthen the University of the Philippines as the national university (Government of the Philippines 2008).
The Education Act of 1982 created the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports which later became the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) in 1987 and the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2001. The Department of Education is in charge of basic education (i.e. primary education and secondary education) and it handles the alternative learning system (ALS) for out-of-school youths and adults through its Bureau of Alternative Learning System (formerly Bureau of Non-formal Education). The provision of early childhood care and education (ECCE) is carried out by the DepEd and the Department of Social Welfare and Development in a dual partnership. The National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA) is responsible for culture related issues in basic education (UNESCO 2009a).
Other than the Department of Education, there are several government departments such the Commission of Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skill Development Authority (TESDA), that play a critical role in implementing government policies, managing and administering these respective education sub-sectors (UNESCO 2009a).
The CHED was established in 1994 under Republic Act 7722 to supervise tertiary degree programs. The TESDA was established in 1995 under Republic Act 7796 and is responsible for supervising non-degree technical-vocational programmes the island nation. TESDA is one of the leading institutions which provide direction, policies, programmes and standards towards quality technical education and skills development (UNESCO 2009a).
