A Review of the Philippine Quality Assurance System

Abstract

AbstractOver the past two decades, the Philippines has experienced extraordinary expansion in higher education. This expansion is evident in the increased number of higher education institutions (HEIs) both in the public and the private sector. However, the main area of growth has been in the private sector. The Philippines is one of four east Asian and Pacific countries (including Indonesia, Japan and Korea) that has more than 70% of its students enrolled in private HEIs (). The challenge facing the Philippines is that the growth experienced in the higher education sector has not been matched by adequate resources to deliver relevant quality (). Emerging markets require new skills, which higher education is expected to provide (). This chapter analyses the quality assurance system for the Philippine higher education institutions. It argues the case for tightening the existing accreditation framework of the higher education system in general, and private higher education in particular, in order to deliver the relevant skills necessary for the economic development and global competiveness of the Philippines.