President Marcos reaffirmed his support for ensuring Filipinos’ access to quality free tertiary education during the National Higher Education Day Summit (NHEDS) on Wednesday.
Speaking at the event, President Marcos emphasized the critical role of higher education in the nation’s development agenda.
“That is why improving higher education—and making it responsive to the present and future needs of society—is front and center of this administration’s national development agenda,” President Marcos said.
President Marcos highlighted that the success of many government initiatives relies on a robust, resilient, and skilled workforce to propel the nation forward. He outlined four core beliefs central to enhancing tertiary education in the Philippines.
The Chief Executive stressed that government and private schools should be partners, not competitors, and called for supportive policies to ensure their viability.
According to the President, the government continues to provide free tertiary education in public universities and colleges, with nearly P134 billion allocated this year.
President Marcos insisted that access to education should not lower academic standards, emphasizing that scholastic benchmarks must remain firm.
He also noted that financial appropriations alone do not solve educational problems, highlighting the need for effective solutions.
“We could not say that appropriations will always solve a problem. Cash is not always a cure. Even funding does not automatically guarantee that we will get our desired outcome,” President Marcos said.
