17
education institution in the rural areas and invested in education in different provincial capitals.
Thirdly, a popular scheme known as “study-now-pay-later plan” was adopted by private schools
that allowed students enrolled with minimal down payments. This financial scheme made
private tertiary enrollment more affordable.
23
During the Marital Law period, 1972-1983, there was an increase in public tertiary
schools that was a result of the reorganization of the education system (Presidential Decree 6-A)
that created 13 political regions and the Philippine Development Plan that “mandated the
‘training’ of manpower of middle level skills required for national development. In the context
of this plan, new technical skills were needed for the export industrial zones to be set up in the
country, and for the eventual policy of exporting technician labor for overseas contract work.”
24
As part of this plan, the national government decided to expand to other state universities beyond
the University of the Philippines. This growth in public tertiary institutions is reflected in Figure
1 between 1974 and 1979. This educational reform cost over US$700.53 million that was 35
percent funded by loans from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) and 65
percent from the Philippine government. During that period, this was considered the largest loan
for an education project in the world.
25
But despite these reforms, tertiary education continues to
be dominated by the private sector.
When looking at the share of private tertiary enrollment, the majority of students are
studying in private institutions. Figure 5 illustrates this dominance of private schools with 96
percent of all students enrolled in private schools in 1955 and in 1999 private schools still have a
large share of enrollment at 75 percent. Despite the growth of public tertiary schools from
23
Gulosino, "Evaluating Private Higher Education in the Philippines: The Case for Choice, Equity and Efficiency."
24
Ma. Luisa C. Doronila, "A Research and Development Approach to the Delivery of Comprehensive Functional
Education and Literacy in the Philippines" (paper presented at the Asia Literacy Regional Forum, Manila,
Philippines, 5-9 May 1997), 9.
25
Ibid.
Convention