Philippines Republic Act 9155

Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001

• The law aims to protect and promote the right to quality basic education and make it accessible to all citizens.

Declaration of Policy

• The state's policy is to provide free and compulsory education in elementary level and free education in high school level.
• Alternative learning systems will be provided for out-of-school youth and adult learners.
• The goal of basic education is to provide learners with skills, knowledge, and values to become caring, self-reliant, productive, and patriotic citizens.

Purposes and Objectives

• To provide a framework for the governance of basic education.
• To define roles and responsibilities of field offices and provide resources for educational programs.
• To make schools the heart of the formal education system.
• To encourage local initiatives for improving the quality of basic education.
• To enable schools to reflect the values of the community.

Definitions

• Alternative Learning System: a parallel learning system providing a viable alternative to formal education.
• Basic Education: education intended to meet basic learning needs, including early childhood, elementary, and high school education.
• Cluster of Schools: a group of schools brought together to improve learning outcomes.
• Formal Education: a systematic and deliberate process of learning corresponding to elementary and secondary levels of schooling.
• Informal Education: a lifelong process of learning through daily experiences.
• Integrated Schools: schools offering a complete basic education in one school site with unified instructional programs.

Governance of Basic Education

• The Department of Education, Culture, and Sports is renamed the Department of Education.
• The Secretary of Education has authority, accountability, and responsibility for ensuring access to, promoting equity in, and improving the quality of basic education.

Powers, Duties, and Functions

• The Secretary of Education has powers, duties, and functions at the national, regional, division, and school levels.
• The Secretary is responsible for formulating national educational policies, national basic education plan, and national educational standards.

Regional Level

• There are regional offices with directors, assistant directors, and office staff for program promotion, planning, administrative, and fiscal services.
• Regional directors have authority, accountability, and responsibility for defining regional educational policy frameworks, developing regional basic education plans, and monitoring regional learning outcomes.

Division Level

• A division consists of a province or city with a schools division superintendent, assistant superintendent, and office staff for programs, planning, administrative, fiscal, legal, and support services.
• Schools division superintendents have authority, accountability, and responsibility for developing and implementing division education development plans, managing resources, and supervising schools and learning centers.

School Level

• There are school heads for public elementary, high schools, and integrated schools.
• School heads are instructional leaders and administrative managers responsible for setting the mission, vision, goals, and objectives of the school, implementing the school curriculum, and managing resources.

Transfer of Cultural Agencies

• The Komisyon ng Wikang Pilipino, National Historical Institute, Record Management and Archives Office, and the National Library are administratively attached to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
• The program for school arts and culture remains part of the school curriculum.

Abolition of the Bureau of Physical Education and School Sports

• The Bureau of Physical Education and School Sports (BPESS) is abolished.
• Functions, programs, and activities related to sports competition are transferred to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
• The program for school sports and physical fitness remains part of the basic education curriculum.### Department of Education Policies
• The Secretary of the Department of Education shall issue personnel policy rules and regulations that consider the unique working conditions of the teaching profession.

Commission on Audit

• The Commission on Audit shall issue audit rules and regulations that take into account the characteristics of the department's field offices, organizational set-up, and the nature of school operations.

Governance in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)

• The Regional Education Secretary for the ARMM shall exercise governance authority over divisions, districts, schools, and learning centers in the region.
• This authority is subject to the provisions of the Organic Act and Republic Act No. 9054.

Implementing Rules and Regulations

• The Secretary of Education shall promulgate implementing rules and regulations within 90 days after the approval of this Act.
• The principle of shared governance shall be fully implemented within 2 years after the approval of this Act.

Separability Clause

• If any portion of this Act is declared unconstitutional, other parts not affected shall continue to be in full force and effect.

Repealing Clause

• All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules, and regulations inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Effectivity Clause

• This Act shall take effect 15 days following its publication in at least two newspapers of general circulation.

Enactment

• This Act lapsed into law on August 11, 2001, without the President's signature, pursuant to Sec. 27(1), Article VI of the Constitution.