President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed into law a measure expanding the Philippine Science High School (PSHS) System, aimed at further strengthening its governance and management.
Republic Act No. 12310, signed on October 3, seeks to establish ‘strategically accessible PSHS campuses’ that can provide scholarship-based secondary education programs with special emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics for students with exceptional proficiency in science and mathematics.
The law will also consolidate existing and future campuses under a unified system of governance to ensure consistent quality standards, efficient operations, and the holistic development of students and school staff.
‘The PSHS System shall be composed of the existing PSHS campuses and the future campuses that shall be established pursuant to this Act,’ it read.
‘A new Philippine Science High School campus in the Negros Island Region shall also be established,’ it added.
The law also mandates the creation of a Board of Trustees headed by the Secretary of Science and Technology as ex officio chairperson, and the Secretary of Education as ex officio vice chairperson.
The PSHS System, meanwhile, shall be headed by an executive director who shall exercise academic and administrative supervision over all campuses.
He or she shall be appointed by the Board for a term of six years and may be reappointed for another six-year term.