Education & Research

Educational attainment in the Philippines was falling at the beginning of the 21st century, marked by declining enrolment and literacy rates, as well as persistent underfunding. In response, successive governments have worked to overhaul the education system and increase expenditure, taking measures to keep more children in school, raise the quality of tertiary education, enhance the education system’s global competitiveness, and improve employability through linkages between academic institutions and industry. All this is proving crucial to keep pace in a world adapting to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where technological competitiveness and the hunt for qualified human capital is placing education at the centre of many countries’ reform plans. This chapter also contains an interview with Fortunato de la Peña, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology.