Chapter 7: Higher Education in the Philippines: Issues and Challenges

Philippine higher education is fraught with challenges in access, relevance, and quality. Initiatives at addressing these issues have often been adopted as government-mandated regulations. Academic program offerings are likewise highly regulated. Private institutions make up most of the higher education providers but differentiation in regulatory policies for private and public institutions are often imbalanced and partial to the latter. Higher education institutions are also tasked to contribute to the goals of achieving social equality and ensuring employability, with the push for internationalization being linked to quality concerns. This chapter will discuss issues of access, quality, and internationalization in Philippine higher education.