Regulatory and skills requirements for higher education in the Philippines

Abstract

The provision of public resources to manage the expansion of the higher education system in the Philippines has been inadequate, and this has given rise to many private providers entering the HE domain. The proper regulation of higher education in the country is important if the Philippines is to respond to the challenge of producing the skills it needs for economic development. A Commission on Higher Education document of 2012 reiterated the mandate given to all higher education institutions in the Philippines to build a quality nation and to contribute to its global competitiveness. This mandate includes the need for the higher education system to produce graduates with analytical and problem-solving skills, among others. Perhaps the best one can hope for is that policies of this kind can provide an overarching framework and a general context for the development and strengthening of higher education institutions in order to make them relevant to the needs of the society in which they are situated.