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Republic of the Philippines
CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY
Don Severino de las Alas Campus
Indang, Cavite
READING MATERIAL FOR STS (GNED 06)
Lecture 05: Science Education in the Philippines
SCIENCE EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES
All of the science subjects being taught are delivered through a systematic process using
pedagogies. Pedagogy describes the study of teaching, and how content is presented and
delivered to a learner. It includes the theory and practice of teaching, the strategies employed in
order to teach, the specific interaction of teacher and students, the instructive content used, the
combined goals of the learner and teacher, and the way the content is presented and delivered to
the learner. Using pedagogical theories and models helps instructors and students to teach and
learn scientific concepts and processes effectively.
THE PHILIPPINE SCIENCE EDUCATION SYSTEM
The Department of Education (DepEd) oversees the implementation of the school curricula and
school programs at both elementary and high school levels. On the other hand, Commission on
Higher Education (CHED) was created as a separate entity from the former, under R.A. 7722 in
1994, to oversee the system of higher education in the country and to formulate policies, plans,
and programs for the development of public and private higher/tertiary education. Science
education in the Philippines starts during your basic education years and will still be present until
college. More science units or subjects will be encountered if you’ve chosen a science-related
career later on. The importance of Science can be best explained by the fact that other than it is
our way of life, it is basically intertwined with technology and industry which are the major areas
of development being prioritized by our government. It enhances the learner’s questioning skills,
values and attitudes, and critical thinking skills. With these abilities, students
Lecture 05: Science Technology and Society
Carl Jershey A. Mojica, LPT
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will be ready to accept life challenges which will also be significant to the society of which they
are a part. Scientific learning will also be important and helpful to the development of one’s
country and the preservation of its cultural identity. The basic education program caters to the
needs of students, such that the curriculum is designed to prepare the students for a higher level
of learning. Students are taught to learn more independently, aspire for academic excellence, and
to hone their capacity to accept new knowledge and technology.
THE K-12 PROGRAM
Science is one of the subjects taught in elementary and secondary schools under the K-12
program of the Department of Education. It aims to develop learners to make judgments and
apply what they have learned which may eventually have great health, environment, or even
social impacts. The curriculum presents the importance of science and technology to everyday
living. The K-12 science curriculum provides learners with a repertoire of competencies
important in the world of work and in a knowledge-based society. There is a clear core learning
standard set for the science area for the entire K-12 basic education. Apart from this, key stage
standards for science learning areas for Kinder-Grade 3, Grades 4-6, Grades 7-10, and Grades
11-12 have been prepared. For grade level, the different topics of the subject are divided and
taught per quarter. This is called the sequence of domain or strands per quarter.
PHILIPPINE SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL
Although the K-12 program is now being implemented, we cannot do away with the fact that the
Philippines is fortunate to have what we call science high schools. Some of these schools offer
both regular and science curricula, while the others offer science curricula only. The Science
curriculum is designed to have more advanced science and mathematics subjects. The curriculum
for the Philippine Science High School was prepared and supervised by DOST, while that of the
S and T-oriented schools was initiated by DepEd. The Philippine Science High School is a
specialized public high school in the country which operates as an attached agency of the
Lecture 05: Science Technology and Society
Carl Jershey A. Mojica, LPT
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DOST. It is regarded as the top high school in the Philippines and was perceived among the best
in the ASEAN region in 2016. It has 16 campuses, as of date.
SCIENCE EDUCATION AT THE TERTIARY LEVEL
Science education deals with developing students’ understanding and appreciation of scientific
ideas and works, done through the basic science course in the General Education curriculum. In
Tertiary education, you’re applying some of the fundamental concepts or theories developed by
previous scientists. As you go further, you’re being taught how to integrate these concepts and
create your own basic research. Science education at the tertiary level also focuses on the
preparation of science teachers, scientists, engineers, and other professionals. The state provides
scholarships to encourage more students to pursue science courses.
PROBLEMS IN THE SCIENCE EDUCATION
Teaching science is very challenging. It begins with the ratio of students to teachers and the ratio
of students to the classroom. The situation in laboratory rooms can be worse than this. In some
regions, there is only one laboratory room out of 10 public elementary schools. Other public
elementary schools do not even have science labs at all. Lack of science education facilities has a
negative effect on the performance of the students, especially in their achievement tests. Teacher
qualification and preparedness are factors in the teaching and learning of science. Only a small
fraction of teachers are qualified to teach different science subjects, hence the need for
continuous capability enhancement programs. Building laboratory rooms and purchase of
teaching materials are needed to at least remedy the present situation. Limited scholarships and a
few projects are some of the government’s plans to improve science education. But this has to be
expanded to the extent that we can have a pool of science experts to reverse the current backward
situation of science and technology in the country.
Lecture 05: Science Technology and Society
Carl Jershey A. Mojica, LPT
