INSIGHT

Factors Affecting Senior High School Track

Offerings in the Philippines

The implementation of the K to 12 Basic Education Program in the Philippines aims to ensure that students are well prepared for
tertiary education, skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship.
There is a need to ensure that senior high school students are able to
make optimal choices by providing them access to various senior high
school tracks.

Published: 07 August 2019

Introduction
The implementation of the K to 12 Basic Education Program in the Philippines includes the introduction
of senior high school (SHS), or grades 11 and 12, the final 2 years in a new 6-year secondary education
system. While previous curricula focused mainly on readiness for postsecondary education, the SHS
curriculum aims to prepare students for either further education or employment.

SHS students undertake a standard core curriculum and can choose from four tracks of specialization:
academic, technical-vocational and livelihood (TVL), sports, or arts and design. The academic track is
further divided into four strands: accountancy, business, and management (ABM); science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM); humanities and social sciences (HUMSS); and general
academic. The TVL track also has four strands and various specializations under each one: home
economics; information and communications technology (ICT); agri-fishery arts; and industrial arts.
There are two specific specializations for the maritime industry: the pre-baccalaureate maritime
specialization—a modified STEM curriculum—and the TVL maritime specialization.

To understand the factors that influence education investment and career planning choices of incoming
and current SHS students, the Asian Development Bank and the Philippines’ Department of Education
(DepEd) conducted the Youth Education Investment and Labor Market Outcomes Survey (YEILMOS) in
2017. The survey covered students and their families as well as school heads of select public and
private high schools in four pilot areas: the National Capital Region (NCR), Ilocos Sur for Luzon, Eastern
Samar for Visayas, and Davao del Sur for Mindanao. While the YEILMOS results are not representative
of the overall SHS population, insights and lessons can still be derived from the study’s findings.

Analysis
Constraints in Offering Senior High School Tracks and Strands

Table 1 presents a list of issues that may constrain a school’s general operations. When asked about
operational issues that schools confront, public schools cited inadequacy of facilities (43.1%), lack of
teachers (28.6%), and application requirements to be able to offer different SHS tracks (17.5%). Private
schools, meanwhile, were mainly constrained by the lack of student demand or enrollment (32.9%),
application requirements to be able to offer different SHS tracks (13.2%), and inadequacy of facilities
(12.7%).

Table 1: Proportion of Schools Citing a Specific Issue as a Constraint General Operations, by

School Type (%)

Issue Constraining Operations Public Private All

Number of classrooms and adequacy fo facilities 43.1 12.7 27.8

Limited student enrollment 8.5 32.9 20.8

Lack of teachers 28.6 7.5 18.0

Application requirements to be able to offer different SHS tracks 17.5 13.2 15.3

High student enrollment 6.6 11.4 9.0

Schedule of disbursement of subsidies for voucher and/or ESC recipients 3.0 4.1 3.6

ESC application requirements 2.5 2.8 2.7

 Other constraints 5.4 3.5 4.4

ESC = educational service contracting, SHS = senior high school.

Source: Authors’ estimates based on Youth Education Investment and Labor Market Outcomes
Survey results.

Table 2 presents the issues constraining school operations according to the four geographic areas
surveyed under the YEILMOS. The most common constraints for NCR schools were limited student
enrollment (35.3%) and lack of facilities (21.7%). Schools in Ilocos Sur cited a lack of facilities (42.6%)
and lack of teachers (42.2%) as their main limitations, and in higher proportions compared to the other
survey areas. Schools in Davao del Sur had the same top two constraints: lack of facilities (23.5%) and
lack of teachers (18.2%). Eastern Samar was the only survey area to identify application requirements to
offer different SHS tracks (29.2%) as its top constraint, followed by lack of facilities (23.5%).

Table 2: Proportion of Schools Citing a Specific Issue as a Constraint General Operations, by

Survey Area (%)

Issue Constraining Operations NCR Ilocos Sur Eastern Samar Davao del Sur All

Number of classrooms and adequacy fo facilities 21.7 42.6 23.5 23.5 27.8

Limited student enrollment 35.3 19.9 – 10.0 20.8

Lack of teachers 5.1 42.2 11.4 18.2 18.0

Application requirements to be able to offer 16.1 9.5 29.2 6.1 15.3

different SHS tracks

High student enrollment 15.4 3.7 3.7 8.0 9.0

Schedule of disbursement of subsidies for 4.5 1.2 6.0 2.1 3.6

voucher and/or ESC recipients

ESC application requirements 4.9 0.4 3.3 – 2.7

Other constraints 0.8 1.9 2.2 21.2 4.4

– = magnitude equals zero, ESC = educational service contracting, NCR = National Capital
Region, SHS = senior high school.
Source: Authors’ estimates based on Youth Education Investment and Labor Market Outcomes
Survey results.
Lack of Resources for Facilities and Teachers

Table 3 illustrates the degree to which particular SHS tracks and strands may be affected by a lack of
funds for facilities and teaching personnel. Across all YEILMOS survey areas, this constraint most
limited the offering of the ICT (51.6%), STEM (50.3%), and home economics (50.3%) strands. In NCR
schools, lack of funds had most impact on the STEM (43.1%) and ICT (42.7%) strands; in Ilocos Sur
schools, on all four academic strands (from 51.5% for HUMSS to 66.9% for STEM) as well as the home
economics (62.9%) and ICT (57.7%) strands; in Eastern Samar schools, on the ICT (52.3%) and home
economics (51.0%) strands; and in Davao del Sur schools, on the ICT (67.3%), home economics
(60.7%), STEM (55.4%), industrial arts (55.1%), and general academic (51.3%) strands.

Table 3: Proportion of Schools Citing Lack of Funds as a Reason for Not Offering a Particular
Track or Strand, by Survey Area (%)

SHS Track or Stand NCR Ilocos Sur Eastern Samar Davao del Sur All

Academic 48.4 68.3 40.1 62.0 54.1

Accountancy, business, and management 21.4 62.3 37.6 39.9 40.0

strand

Humanities and social sciences strand 30.8 51.5 34.0 49.5 41.0

Science, technology, engineering, and 43.1 66.9 39.0 55.4 50.3

mathematics strand

General academic strand 28.5 59.4 24.1 51.3 37.8

Pre-baccalaureate maritime 37.6 40.8 22.1 44.0 36.5

Technical-Vocational-Livelihood 44.4 53.0 44.7 64.8 49.8

Agri-fishery arts 36.9 36.0 46.8 47.6 39.8

Home economics 40.0 62.9 51.0 60.7 50.3

Information and communication technology 42.7 57.7 52.3 67.3 51.6

Industrial arts 41.6 40.0 41.7 55.1 43.0

 Technical-vocational and livelihood maritime 38.3 40.6 33.1 56.7 40.7

Livelihood 39.7 49.4 38.0 45.7 42.8

Sports 39.0 37.6 38.1 45.8 39.5

Arts and Design 39.4 36.8 34.8 42.2 38.3

NCR = National Capital Region, SHS = senior high school

Note: Lack of funds cited is specific to the provision of facilities and teaching personnel.
Source: Authors’ estimates based on Youth Education Investment and Labor Market Outcomes
Survey results.

Table 4 shows how, despite a school having adequate funding, difficulty in hiring specialized teachers
can impact on the school’s ability to offer particular SHS tracks and strands. In public schools, this
constraint was most pronounced for the four academic strands (from 11.6% for STEM to 14.3% for
ABM). In private schools, hiring difficulties most often prevented the offering of the general academic
(24.3%) and ABM (22.7%) strands.

Table 4: Proportion of Schools Citing Difficulty in Hiring Specialized Teaching Personnel as a

Reason for Not Offering a Particular Track or Strand, by School Type (%)

SHS Track or Stand Public Private All

Academic 15.6 35.1 25.5

Accountancy, business, and management strand 14.3 22.7 18.1

Humanities and social sciences strand 12.1 5.5 9.6

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics strand 11.6 8.6 10.2

General academic strand 12.5 24.3 18.7

Pre-baccalaureate maritime 7.3 11.5 9.4

Technical-Vocational-Livelihood 12.0 7.6 9.8

Agri-fishery arts 7.7 1.7 4.5

 Home economics 8.8 1.3 4.6

Information and communication technology 9.2 3.4 6.3

Industrial arts 7.3 1.6 4.2

Technical-vocational and livelihood maritime 6.9 1.8 4.3

Livelihood 8.4 4.7 6.5

Sports 7.7 8.0 7.9

Arts and Design 7.7 8.3 8.0

SHS = senior high school.

Note: Schools citing difficulty in hiring specialized teaching personnel had adequate funding to
do so.
Source: Authors’ estimates based on Youth Education Investment and Labor Market Outcomes
Survey results.

Table 5 demonstrates how an inability to hire sufficient specialized teachers prevented the offering of
particular SHS tracks and strands across and in each of the YEILMOS survey areas. In NCR schools,
this constraint most impacted the offering of the ABM (30.4%) and general academic strands (25.5%); in
Ilocos Sur schools, the pre-baccalaureate maritime (16.8%), agri-fishery arts (11.1%), and ICT (10.8%)
strands; in Eastern Samar schools, all four academic strands (from 15.8% for STEM to 26.8% for
general academic); and in Davao del Sur schools, the STEM (19.2%), home economics (17.9%), ABM
(17.6%), and HUMSS (17.4%) strands.

Table 5: Proportion of Schools Citing Difficulty in Hiring Specialized Teaching Personnel as a

Reason for not Offering a Particular Track or Strand, by Survey Area (%)

SHS Track or Stand NCR Ilocos Sur Eastern Samar Davao del Sur All

Academic 35.1 18.1 21.3 17.8 25.5

Accountancy, business, and management 30.4 5.8 16.5 17.6 18.1

strand

Humanities and social sciences strand 7.0 1.5 19.1 17.4 9.6
 Science, technology, engineering, and 10.6 0.0 15.8 19.2 10.2
mathematics strand

General academic strand 25.5 6.8 26.8 3.4 18.7

Pre-baccalaureate maritime 8.0 16.8 2.5 8.9 9.4

Technical-Vocational-Livelihood 6.3 11.7 7.6 18.2 9.8

Agri-fishery arts 1.8 11.1 0.9 4.0 4.5

Home economics 1.3 6.2 2.8 17.9 4.6

Information and communication technology 3.1 10.8 2.3 12.3 6.3

Industrial arts 2.1 6.6 2.9 8.1 4.2

Technical-vocational and livelihood maritime 1.7 6.3 0.9 12.0 4.3

Livelihood 2.5 10.0 6.2 11.6 6.5

Sports 7.9 5.2 6.1 14.5 7.9

Arts and Design 7.9 5.3 6.1 15.3 8.0

NCR = National Capital Region, SHS = senior high school.

Note: Schools citing difficulty in hiring specialized teaching personnel had adequate funding to
do so.
Source: Authors’ estimates based on Youth Education Investment and Labor Market Outcomes
Survey results.

Table 6 outlines how limited demand from students can inhibit the offering of particular SHS tracks or
strands. In public schools, limited student demand was a main reason for not offering the arts and
design (43.4%) and sports (41.9%) tracks as well as the pre-baccalaureate maritime (50.3%), technical-
vocational and livelihood maritime (43.2%), agri-fishery arts (41.6%), and STEM (39.8%) strands. In
private schools, the arts and design (55.1%) and sports (51.8%) tracks were again the tracks most
commonly not offered due to a lack of student demand, as was the case with the industrial arts (57.1%),
agri-fishery arts (54.5%), and HUMSS (52.5%) strands.

In NCR schools, the HUMSS (56.7%) and home economics (53.3%) strands were most affected by lack
of student demand; in Ilocos Sur schools, the arts and design (57.1%) and sports (56.3%) tracks as well
as the industrial arts strand (52.5%); in Eastern Samar schools, the arts and design (43.6%) track; and
in Davao del Sur schools, the agri-fishery arts (48.4%) and general academic (45.3%) strands.

Table 6: Proportion of Schools Citing Limited Demand from Students as a Reason for Not
Offering a Particular Track or Strand, by School Type (%)

SHS Track or Stand Public Private

Academic 32.7 57.1

Accountancy, business, and management strand 33.5 41.3

Humanities and social sciences strand 36.9 52.5

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics strand 39.8 31.9

General academic strand 30.1 46.0

Pre-baccalaureate maritime 50.3 44.9

Technical-Vocational-Livelihood 34.8 41.1

Agri-fishery arts 41.6 54.5

Home economics 24.8 48.6

Information and communication technology 29.3 43.4

Industrial arts 36.5 57.1

Technical-vocational and livelihood maritime 43.2 54.0

Livelihood 38.1 51.7

Sports 41.9 51.8

Arts and Design 43.4 55.1

SHS = senior high school.

Source: Authors’ estimates based on Youth Education Investment and Labor Market Outcomes
Survey results.

Implications
Based on the results of the survey, DepEd and schools—as well as other key stakeholders and
partners—may explore, and collaborate on, options to mitigate the various constraints in offering
different SHS tracks and strands.

To address the inadequacy of facilities in public schools, there is a need to ensure that education
budgets are efficiently and judiciously allocated for classrooms, laboratories, workshops, and equipment
and tools needed for ICT, STEM, and TVL studies. It is also important to allocate resources and
attention to STEM and ICT, and to broaden access for underserved communities and students with
limited access to SHS programs. The government should also foster disciplines that may not be in
vogue but are key to inclusive development and sustainability (e.g., agri-fishery arts and food security).

There is a need to review the guidelines for hiring SHS teachers, and to develop measures that reduce
the burden and inefficiencies of finding qualified applicants for SHS teaching positions in specialized
fields. Government agencies, for example, can determine if the specific requirements and compensation
for part-time SHS teachers are sufficient to attract and retain would-be and competent teachers in public
schools, thereby offsetting the shortage of qualified applicants for full-time posts.

The government must also consider how it can best utilize programs for continuing professional
development to retrain and upgrade licensed teachers into the SHS learning areas in need of
more teachers.

In the long term, DepEd must continue to work with the Commission on Higher Education, the Technical
Education and Skills Development Authority, and the Professional Regulation Commission to sufficiently
prepare future teachers. As the Philippines’ biggest employer of teachers, the department should also
provide relevant and timely information to guide interested students, households, teaching colleges, and
other education institutions on the kinds of teaching specializations required within the education
system.

While private schools are expected to be more sensitive to shifting market demands, the government
should continue to strengthen its support for quality education institutions and the diversity of choices for
SHS that these institutions are able to offer. DepEd may consider further tweaking its SHS Voucher
Program by providing larger subsidies for more resource-intensive but highly desirable program
offerings (e.g. STEM, specific TVL specializations) from quality schools. DepEd should also review its
guidelines for the issuance of SHS permits and recognition, to strike the proper balance between
weeding out inferior programs and providing adequate latitude for innovative institutions.

Lastly, DepEd must soon articulate its parameters and processes in the expected review of SHS
programs for both public and private schools. Within the SHS system, the department will need to
confront the issues of when to terminate failing or substandard programs and when to open new and
necessary offerings, taking into account the preferences and aspirations of its students, the needs and
ambitions of the labor market, and the broader interests of the diverse Philippine general public.

Resources
Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Department of Education of the Government of the Philippines
(DepEd). 2019. Youth Education Investment and Labor Market Outcomes in the Philippines: Survey
Report. Manila.

ADB. 2015. A Smarter Future: Skills, Education, and Growth in Asia . Special Chapter of Key Indicators
for Asia and the Pacific 2015. Manila.

ADB. Regional: Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2018-2020 – Key Indicators for Asia and the
Pacific 2018 (Subproject 1).

Elvin Uy
Director for Operations, Philippine Business for Social Progress

Elvin Uy is a former assistant secretary for curriculum and instruction and K to 12

Program coordinator of the Department of Education (DepEd). From 2011 to 2016, he
was part of the formulation, design, and implementation of the K to 12 Program and the introduction of
Senior High School.

Follow Elvin Uy on

Arturo Martinez, Jr.

Statistician, Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department, Asian Development Bank

Art Martinez works on Sustainable Development Goals indicator compilation,

particularly poverty statistics and big data analytics. Prior to joining ADB, he was a
research fellow at the University of Queensland where he also got his doctorate in Social Statistics.

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

The Asian Development Bank is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive,

resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate
extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.
Its main instruments for helping its developing member countries are policy dialogue, loans, equity
investments, guarantees, grants, and technical assistance.

Follow Asian Development Bank (ADB) on