MANILA—President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Wednesday stressed the need for a “comprehensive and all-encompassing strategy” that will improve the state of higher education in the Philippines.

He made the statement after noting the performance of higher educational institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines in the recent global rankings. 

In December 2023, Marcos said 81 HEIs were included in various world university rankings, which was higher than the 52 in July 2023. 

However this year, no HEI made it to the top 100 of the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings.

DepEd rejects, CHED favors opening up education sector to foreigners

“We must acknowledge that in the recent Times Higher Education’s 2024 Asia University Rankings, unfortunately, no Philippine university has reached Top 100, with the country’s top schools either dropping or maintaining their rankings,” he said in his speech during the National Higher Education Summit.

“This just goes to show that much work is still to be done. We must pursue a comprehensive and all-encompassing strategy that will turn this trend around,” he added.

There are 1,977 HEIs in the Philippines as of January 4, 2024, of which 113 are state universities and colleges (SUCs), 137 local universities and colleges (LUCs), 1,714 private HEIs; and 13 other government schools (OGS), CHED-supervised institutions, and special schools.

According to Marcos, giving good education to Filipinos is the government’s highest priority, noting that no country can prosper without good educational system. 

The Filipino youth, he said, should be armed with the right skills and competencies for them “to not only survive, but to thrive in a rapidly changing world.”

However, the responsibility of educating the youth should not be left alone to government, Marcos said. 

Ombudsman orders dismissal of CHED Commissioner for nepotism

“We should also allow private parties to participate and not shove private parties to the sidelines.  Nor should it be the cause of their diminution, or their demise,” he said.

“When it comes to educating our youth, government and private schools are not competitors but must be regarded as equal partners,” he continued. 

The President expressed his administration’s commitment to provide the necessary budget for free tertiary education in public universities and colleges as mandated by the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.  

This year, he said the government has allocated close to P134 billion to allow more students to avail of free tertiary education.

“We know that whatever is spent on education, we should never regard as an expenditure. It is an investment. It is an investment in our people. It is an investment in our country. It is an investment in our future,” he added.

Marcos said he hoped that the summit, led by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), would yield answers and solutions to the challenges the education sector is facing.

“I once again, pledge the total and complete support of this administration for all that you endeavor to do for higher education, to improve the quality that we are providing for our students and for our workforce,” Marcos said.