Realizing Shared Governance: Decentralization of Philippine Basic Education 

Series Summary: The Philippines’ education system is at a crossroads. Despite decades of reform, millions of children still cannot read, write, or perform basic mathematics – symptoms of systemic failures that threaten the nation’s future. The broader four-study series, supported by The Asia Foundation, EDCOM II, and the Australian Government, examines how governance, teacher development, and early childhood systems can work together to strengthen the foundations of learning. Together, the studies outline a roadmap for transforming Philippine education, with particular attention to Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), where cultural and post-conflict realities require context-sensitive approaches.  

Decentralization is essential to improving the Philippine basic education system and addressing long-standing inequities and inefficiencies rooted in decades of centralization. The study argues that meaningful decentralization requires clarifying roles and responsibilities across all levels of the system, within the Department of Education (DepEd), Local Government Units, and schools, and aligning these with adequate authority, resources, and capacities. The research emphasizes that DepEd must lead this shift by developing a comprehensive decentralization framework, strengthening School-Based Management, and investing in local capacity and school-level resources, supported by a strong monitoring and evaluation system.  

Download the reports in the series:   

• Putting Foundational Learning at the Core of Philippine Educational Systems Reforms 
• Realizing Shared Governance: Decentralization of Philippine Basic Education 
• Covering the Last Mile: ECCD Governance and Delivery in BARMM 
• Contextualizing Teacher Quality in BARMM