The Future of Education

This study investigates the state of the 13 public science high schools in the National Capital Region (Metro Manila). Science high schools in the Philippines are created to be pre-university centers of excellence in science and mathematics, and the Department of Education (DepEd) issues strict guidelines and criteria for the creation of such schools. But several issues hinder the realization of this goal.

 Science high schools in the NCR are classified by the DepEd only as regular high schools because of the following reasons:

1. Some of them are created by local governments and are therefore directly under them,
2. These schools are created without prescription from the DepEd, and
3. There is an apparent lack of compliance with the education department’s prescribed curriculum, resulting to failures in monitoring and evaluation. 

Since majority of the public science high schools in the region are created through city ordinances, political motivation and control also become inherent in the schools. The researchers' analysis of curriculum instruction, learning environment and performance of the schools vis-a-vis leadership and administration efforts both in the national and local government reveals that their goals all lead to global competitiveness. The underlying issues, however, are whether these goals are being met considering their unclear position within the DepEd system, insufficient budget and facilities, and the pressures they encounter from key institutions—as  they gear toward international benchmark levels for science and mathematics competency.