- President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act 12310, expanding the Philippine Science High School (PSHS) System to strengthen STEM education and research.
- The law establishes scholarship-based PSHS campuses nationwide, aiming to produce more graduates prepared for undergraduate STEM programs and R&D careers.
- All PSHS campuses will operate under a unified administration managed by the Department of Science and Technology, with campus expansion guided by regional demand and strategic location.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ratified into law a bill intended to expand the Philippine Science High School (PSHS) System, strengthening the nation's determination to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, and research and development (R&D). The Republic Act 12310 or the Expanded Philippine Science High School System Act was signed on October 3 and later posted on the Official Gazette website.
The law reiterates the government's commitment to developing a scientifically and technologically competent people to increase productivity and further improve the welfare of every Filipino. RA 12310 states that the State aims to create a PSHS System that shall be the country's premier institution for secondary education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Strategically placed campuses of PSHS under the new law will provide scholarship-based secondary education with a specific focus on STEM for students with aptitude and interest in mathematics and science. The expansion is to raise the number of high school graduates who enroll in undergraduate courses in STEM disciplines and join research and development activities to enhance the scientific human resource pipeline of the country.
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In order to support coordinated growth and uniformity, all campuses currently in operation and the new ones that will be established will be brought under one administration and management system, governed by the Department of Science and Technology. The law provides that there will be two PSHS campuses in each administrative region, with the caveat that several campuses in one region should not be established in the same province, or in the same Metro Manila city.
Decisions on the opening of new campuses shall be made by the PSHS board when there is need, demand, or other determining factors, enabling the system to be dynamic in responding to the country's STEM education needs.
By this law, the government intends not only to expand access to quality STEM education but also to cultivate a culture of innovation, research, and technoprowess starting from the secondary level. Through a more integrated and strategically expanded PSHS system, the Philippines stands to raise a generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators who can push national development and respond to tomorrow's science and technology challenges.
