Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF
26th Jul 2017

Final stages of K-12 transition underway in the Philippines

The Philippines has now entered the final year of a planned transition from a ten-year school system to a full K-12 curriculum. The Department of Education (DepEd) reports a combined primary and secondary enrolment of nearly 28 million students as of the official start of the school year on 5 June. This year’s enrolment includes the first cohort of Grade 12 students in the Philippine system. The K-12 transition effectively adds two additional years of high school to the current system, under which students have previously gone on to college to complete the equivalent of senior high coursework. “The Philippines is the last country in Asia and one of only three countries worldwide with a 10-year pre-university cycle (Angola and Djibouti are the other two),” notes a statement on the DepEd website. “A 12-year programme is found to be the best period for learning under basic education. It is also the recognised standard for students and professionals globally.”

Mobility boost expected

We have seen a significant increase in outbound mobility from the Philippines over the past decade. And no wonder: the population is large and youthful, economic growth is consistently strong, and English is an official language as well as the medium of instruction in schools. Total outbound for higher education has increased from just over 7,900 in 2006 to nearly 15,000 in 2016. About half of those students go to Australia or the US, but after that outbound from the Philippines is pretty widely distributed among roughly ten other destination markets, including New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Italy, and Japan. Most Philippine students that go abroad first complete their secondary studies in private high schools at home, a sector that accounts for about 20% of total secondary enrolment in the country and that has long offered a full K-12 curriculum. That the 12-year programme is now being extended to the remaining 80% of students has led many observers to anticipate increased student numbers coming out of the Philippines. “Changes to the education system are intended to better equip students for employment and further study,” says a recent report from World Education News & Reviews (WENR). “The most likely outcome is an increase in outbound rates. The changes address a major systemic limitation on graduates from the Philippines who want to pursue advanced studies abroad: the two-year deficit of academic achievement at the secondary level, which had to be made up for in college.”

Government moving ahead despite opposition

The K-12 transition was first established in legislation passed in 2013, and under an earlier government administration. However, current President Rodrigo Duterte reaffirmed his government’s commitment to the transition in a high-profile speech earlier this month, and this in spite of considerable popular and political opposition. K-12 has been a hot topic among parents in the Philippines – who are facing the prospect of supporting students in school for two additional years – and has triggered a number of related court actions seeking to set aside the government’s transition plan. This reluctance on the part of parents is so far showing up in lower-than-projected grade 12 enrolments in some parts of the country, but the transition is nevertheless going ahead. Similarly, higher education institutions in the Philippines have opposed the change, in part because of projections of a sharp, short-term decrease in college enrolments as more students stay on in high school for their senior years. Early reports, however, suggest that the enrolment shortfalls at the college level have not been as significant as first feared. For additional background, please see:

Most Recent

  • US institutions bracing for a challenging enrolment outlook for 2025/26 Read More
  • How the UK’s Agent Quality Framework will shape the future of agent training Read More
  • Dutch government walks back controversial measures to constrain English-taught degrees Read More

Most Popular

  • Which countries will contribute the most to global student mobility in 2030? Read More
  • Research shows link between study abroad and poverty alleviation  Read More
  • Beyond the Big Four: How demand for study abroad is shifting to destinations in Asia and Europe Read More

Because you found this article interesting

US institutions bracing for a challenging enrolment outlook for 2025/26 The Institute of International Education’s (IIE) twice-yearly snapshot surveys are always required reading for international educators. That is...
Read more
How the UK’s Agent Quality Framework will shape the future of agent training This article was originally published in the ICEF Academy Knowledge Hub and is reproduced here with permission. International...
Read more
Dutch government walks back controversial measures to constrain English-taught degrees In a 3 July 2025 letter to the Dutch parliament, Education Minister Eppo Bruins explained that the government...
Read more
New Zealand announces strong foreign enrolment growth along with a new international education strategy Following a post-pandemic surge in 2023, Education New Zealand (ENZ) announced this week that the country’s international student...
Read more
US issues corrected student visa data showing growth for 2024 while current trends point to an enrolment decline for 2025/26 In April 2025, we reported that foreign enrolments in the US had declined by -11% between March 2024...
Read more
Survey finds US institutions expanding agency engagement and focusing on new student markets AIRC (The Association of International Enrollment Management) and BONARD have just released a second edition of the State...
Read more
Canada’s language sector buffeted by policy changes in 2024 Amid reports of mounting job losses and programme cuts across Canadian education, the country’s language education providers are...
Read more
Canada: List of non-degree college programmes linked to post-study work rights has changed The Canadian government is continuing its policy of linking eligibility for a post-study work permit (PGWP) – at...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links