State policy and purpose
- The State declares a policy to broaden access to relevant quality education through an alternative secondary education program (Section 2).
- The alternative secondary education program must enable youth to overcome personal, geographical, socioeconomic and physical constraints and to encourage completion of secondary education (Section 2).
- The policy aligns with the constitutional mandate to encourage non-formal, informal, and indigenous learning systems, and self-learning, independent, and out-of-school study programs that respond to community needs (Section 2), consistent with Article XIV, Section 2, paragraph 4 of the 1987 Constitution.
Key definitions under the Act
- Community Adviser or Tagapayong Pansamahan refers to an adviser from within the community who helps open learners harmonize their studies with community service and leisure (Section 3[a]).
- Learning Center refers to a room in the mother high school or other designated area where open learners conduct researches or gather additional information; it may also serve as a multipurpose area for a classroom setup, library, or venue for a Source Person’s hands-on exercises/activities (Section 3[b]).
- Mother High School or Inang Paaralan refers to a regular secondary school that maintains full administrative management and instructional supervision and control over one or more learning centers, and that functions as headquarters of open learners and Open High School Teachers; a center for enrolment, evaluation, direct or face-to-face instruction and promotion of open learning; a receiver of donations, instructional materials, and reports relative to open learning; and a coordinator of learning centers in the community (Section 3[c]).
- Open High School Teacher refers to a regular secondary school teacher of the mother high school who provides direct instruction, evaluates learners’ progress, and keeps records of individual learners (Section 3[d]).
- Open Learning refers to a learner-centered and flexible philosophy enabling learners to learn at the time, place and pace that satisfies their circumstances and requirements (Section 3[e]).
- Source Person or Gurong Kadluan refers to a resource person with specialized skills in practical or industrial subjects such as farming, handicraft, auto-mechanics, tailoring, and other skills (Section 3[f]).
- Teacher Adviser or Gurong Tagapatnubay refers to a regular secondary school teacher of the mother high school who serves as guidance counselor, coordinates with teachers in evaluating learners’ progress, and prepares and submits reports to the authorities concerned (Section 3[g]).
Establishment and administration of OHSS
- The Open High School System (OHSS) is established as part of the Department of Education’s (DepED) alternative secondary education program to provide access through the open learning modality (Section 4).
- The DepED administers the OHSS (Section 7).
- An OHSS Unit is created to assist DepED with policy formulation, program development, monitoring and evaluation, material development and validation, consultation and collaboration, guideline issuance, budget recommendation, and other necessary tasks to attain OHSS objectives (Section 7[a]–h).
Coverage: eligible institutions and learners
- The Act applies to public secondary educational institutions authorized to practice open learning through self-instructional materials, multi-channel learning, and school-family-community partnership, as well as other institutions authorized as qualified implementers of the OHSS (Section 5).
- The OHSS is open to all youth and adults who have finished elementary education (Section 6).
- The OHSS is open to high school qualifiers of the Philippine Educational Placement Test (PEPT) (Section 6).
- The OHSS is open to ALS Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) Test qualifiers (Section 6).
Curriculum, learning centers, and instruction support
- The OHSS adopts the K to 12 Enhanced Basic Education Curriculum, using the standards and learning competencies of different subject areas of the program (Section 8).
- Each division of DepED shall establish learning centers in authorized mother high schools located in its jurisdiction (Section 11[a]).
- LGUs may take the lead in establishing learning centers, while the learning centers continue to be under the authority of the recognized mother high school and the division of DepED (Section 11[a]).
- The specific DepED division with authority over the mother high school shall hire an Open High School Teacher to manage the learning center’s day-to-day affairs on a full-time basis; this teacher serves as coordinator and facilitates learners’ learning process (Section 11[a]).
- DepED functions include developing and validating prototype instructional materials for open learning (Section 7[d]).
Personnel hiring, incentives, and training
- Open High School Teachers and Teacher Advisers who render service under the OHSS are enlisted from those currently teaching in the implementing mother high school (Section 9).
- Community Advisers and Source Persons are hired by LGUs and receive honoraria to be arranged with the local school board in accordance with guidelines issued by the local school board in consultation with DepED (Section 9).
- Upon full implementation of the K to 12 Curriculum, particularly on Senior High School, the specific DepED division with authority over the mother high school is responsible for hiring Source Persons and giving their compensation (Section 9).
- DepED shall prioritize qualified locally-hired teachers who were performing Open High School Teachers functions prior to the Act in hiring additional Open High School Teachers (Section 9).
- DepED is responsible for training Open High School Teachers, Teacher Advisers, and Community Advisers (Section 10).
- Training is done in coordination with LGUs and concerned nongovernment organizations (Section 10).
- Nonteaching stakeholders such as parents and LGU personnel that are needed to provide support to the OHSS are included in the training program (Section 10).
Private sector participation and partnerships
- Private educational institutions may establish their own privately-funded learning centers following OHSS standards and criteria, subject to DepED approval (Section 12).
- DepED and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) are encouraged to adopt a Memorandum of Agreement defining their respective roles in OHSS operations pursuant to the Act (Section 13).
- DepED encourages and promotes partnership with concerned civil society organizations and other service providers to sustain an enabling environment for participatory planning, budgeting, and implementation of OHSS-related programs and projects (Section 13).
Funding and appropriations
- The amount necessary for the initial implementation of the Act is charged against the current year’s appropriations of DepED’s Open High School Program (Section 14).
- Thereafter, the amount necessary for the continued operation of the OHSS is included in DepED’s budget in the annual General Appropriations Act (Section 14).
Implementing rules, separability, and repeal
- DepED, in consultation with DILG, promulgates the rules and regulations needed for effective implementation within ninety (90) days after the Act’s effectivity (Section 15).
- If any provision is held invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions not so declared remain in force and effect (Section 16).
- All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations, and other issuances or parts thereof inconsistent with the Act are repealed or modified accordingly (Section 17).