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Philippine Science High School System
Specialized public high school system in the Philippines From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Philippine Science High School System (Filipino: Sistemang Mataas na Paaralang Pang-agham ng Pilipinas[2]) is a research-oriented and specialized public high school system in the Philippines that operates as an attached agency of the Philippine Department of Science and Technology.
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The first school which later became the system's main campus was established in Quezon City on June 22, 1963 and began admitting students the following year. The system itself was institutionalized on February 12, 1998. It currently has 16 campuses across the Philippines.
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History
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First campus
The Philippine Science High School (PSHS) was established via Republic Act (RA) No. 3661 which was signed into law by President Diosdado Macapagal on June 22, 1963. It mandates the creation of a school which provides scholarship to students with an emphasis on mathematics and sciences to prepare them to take on scientific careers.[3]
It is the implementation of a proposal of Leopoldo V. Torralba, a mathematics professor at the New York University who envisioned that type of school for Filipinos patterned after the Bronx High School of Science.[3][4]
PSHS first opened on September 5, 1964 using rented buildings alongside the Elliptical Road in Quezon City.[5]
In 1966, the PSHS requested the government a land of its own leading to the construction a campus from 1970 to 1972 in Diliman. The Diliman campus opened in 1973.[3]
Expansion and establishment of the PSHS System
Three more campuses was built across the Philippines namely the Eastern Visayas, Western Visayas, and Southern Mindanao (now Davao Region) campuses.[6][7]
The Philippine Science High School System was formalized in February 12, 1998 via RA No. 8496 which became law during President Fidel Ramos's administration. This legislation placed the four existing campuses under a single system of governance and management.[6][7]
RA 9036 passed on March 12, 2001 during President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's administration mandated the establishment of at least one PSHS campus per region.[6][8]
The PSHS in the 2010s transitioned into the K-12 education system which added two years to its existing four-year curriculum.[9]
On October 3, 2025, President Bongbong Marcos signed into law RA No. 12310 or the Expanded Philippine Science High School System Act, allowing for the creation of more than one PSHS campus in the same region albeit in a different province.[10]
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Organization
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Campuses
Currently, each region in the Philippines except the Bangsamoro and the Negros Island Region has a campus.
Proposed expansion
From the current 16 schools, the number of campuses of the PSHS system is planned to be increased to 24 under House Bill (HB) No. 9726 or the proposed Expanded Philippine Science High School System Act.[12] Under the act, the entire PSHS system is to be expanded and the act is a consolidation of several bills to modernize the law that made the PSHS system possible.
Two PSHS campuses shall be established in each region and one campus per province, following the criteria set by the PSHS System Board of Trustees.[13]
System organization
The Board of Trustees (BOT) is the highest policy making body of the PSHS System. The executive committee (ExeCom), composed of the directors of different PSHS campuses, is a collegial body that recommends policies and guidelines for the consideration of the BOT. The executive committee is chaired by the executive director, who coordinates the implementation of these policies and guidelines.[14] PSHS campuses are headed by directors who are members of the ExeCom.
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Admissions
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Admission into any campus of the system can be done through the national competitive exam, lateral admission, or intercampus transfer.
National Competitive Examination
Students who want to study in a campus within the Philippine Science High School System must take an entrance exam to get admitted called the National Competitive Examinations (NCE). A grade school student must belong to the top ten percent of their graduating class or have an aptitude in mathematics and science.[3]
The NCE is reputed to be competitive with limited slots per academic year only available.[15]As per the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) Year 2 report, 49,481 took the NCE in a bid to get admitted in the PSHSS' 16 campuses for the academic years 2022–23 and 2024–25. Only 5,544 of the 11,351 qualified applicants enrolled during that period.[16][17]
Lateral admission – qualifying exam
Admission can also be done through lateral admission. A student who has finished Grade 7/Grade 8 (under the high school curriculum or the new K-12 curriculum) outside of the Philippine Science High School System may be allowed admission to the PSHS if specific requirements are met.[18]
Intercampus transfer
Scholars of the system may travel to other campuses of the system. Intercampus transfer will only be allowed to incoming Grade 8, 9, or 10 students from a PSHSS campus and approval depends on the slots available in the desired campus to be transferred to. The transferring student must meet certain requirements in order to be considered eligible to transfer.[19]
Notable alumni
- Reynaldo Vea (Batch 1969): President, Chief Executive Officer & Board Director of Mapua University
- Mario Taguiwalo (Batch 1969): former Undersecretary of Health, consultant to peace talks with the NDF (Aquino presidency), film and stage actor, co-lyricist with Lyncir Lagunzad (Batch 1971-A) of the PSHS Hymn; Eisenhower Fellow (1989)
- Vicky Tauli-Corpuz (Batch 1969): Indigenous People's rights advocate; Chair, United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
- Cielito Habito (Batch 1970): former Director General of the National Economic and Development Authority
- Hermogenes Esperon (Batch 1970): General; Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines
- Butch Dalisay (Batch 1971-A): writer, editor, columnist, Palanca awardee
- Bobby Lopez Castro (Batch 1971-B): co-founder, President and CEO of Palawan Pawnshop Group-Palawan Express Pera Padala
- Angelita Maligalig-Castro (Batch 1971-B): co-founder, Palawan Pawnshop Group-Palawan Express Pera Padala
- Joel Navarro (Batch 1971-B): award-winning conductor, singer-composer (Swerte-Swerte Lang), arranger, music professor, and stage actor; Gawad Lagablad Awardee, 1991
- Anna Bayle (Batch 1974): entrepreneur and Asia's first international supermodel
- Miriam Coronel-Ferrer (Batch 1977): peace negotiator and the former chair of the peace panel of the Government of the Philippines
- Rodel Lasco (Batch 1977): expert in natural resources conservation and environmental management
- Jessica Zafra (Batch 1982): fiction writer, columnist, editor, publisher, former television and radio show host, Palanca awardee
- Joseph Emilio Abaya (Batch 1983): former Congressman, 1st district of Cavite, Secretary, Department of Transportation and Communication
- Maria Corazon Abogado de Ungria (Batch 1985): Forensic DNA Technology Specialist in the Philippines.
- Auraeus Solito (aka Kanakan Balintagos) (Batch 1986): filmmaker, director of the internationally acclaimed Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros, Tuli, Pisay, Busong: Palawan Fate, and Baybayin: The Palawan Script
- Barry Gutierrez (Batch 1990): former Congressman, spokesperson of former Vice President Leni Robredo
- Luis Katigbak (Batch 1991): writer and music critic
- Karlo Nograles (Batch 1993): Chairman of Civil Service Commission
- Jeffrey Hidalgo (Batch 1994): singer, songwriter, former band member of Smokey Mountain group
- Ricardo Novenario (Batch 1996): writer of award-winning plays Ang Huling El Bimbo and Kafatiran
- Vida Soraya Versoza (Batch 1999): lawyer, Philippine Consulate General in Calgary
- Atom Araullo (Batch 2000): television host, reporter and newscaster now with GMA Network
- Maria Kristina Conti (Batch 2000): lawyer, ICC Assistant to counsel
- Reinabelle Reyes (Batch 2001): astrophysicist; Gawad Lagablab Awardee (2015)
- Juan Dela Cruz (Batch 2002): former reporter associated with ABS-CBN Corporation
- Hillary Diane Andales (Batch 2019): astrophysicist and science communicator
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See also
- Pisay (film), about the experiences of students and faculty of the school during the last years of the dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos.
References
External links
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