The Philippine Science High School
History
The need to uplift the quality of science and technology education in the country and support the country's demand for scientists, technical researchers, technologists, engineers, and policy leaders paved the way for the creation of the Philippine Science High School. Then President Diosdado Macapagal signed into law Republic Act 3661, also known as the PSHS Charter on June 22, 1963. When the PSHS started out, it rented a building owned by the Philippine Government Employees' Association on a one -hectare site along the Elliptical Road in Quezon City. On August 1, 1970, the school moved to its present campus – using prefabricated buildings – on a 7 .5 hectare site in the North Triangle in Diliman, Quezon City. On July 1 , 1972, the school occupied its permanent buildings. The facilities then consisted of a main edifice called the Sciences & Humanities Building (SHB) and two dormitories.
On March 1989, additional facilities were set up at the rooftop of the SHB. A new IPS laboratory, a computer -integrated electronics laboratory, and a new auditorium were built. The fourth floor facilities also had a view deck. In 1982, Dr. Cleofe M. Bacungan started to envision a technology laboratory. The plans grew to larger proportions as it became apparent that the additional subjects in the PSHS curriculum needed science and technology laboratory facilities. A groundbreaking ceremony for a new building was held on September 1995.
On September 9, 1996, the Advanced Science and Technology Building (ASTB) was inaugurated and blessed.
The PSHS System
The Philippine Science High School Act of '1998, or Republic Act 8496, was signed into law on February 12, 1997 by President Fidel V. Ramos. The primary objective of this act is to integrate all the PSHS campuses – those existing in Diliman, Eastern Visayas, Western Visayas, Mindanao, as well as other future campuses which shall be established by law – into one system of governance and management. This will ensure uniformity in quality standards, thus maintaining leadership in secondary level science and technology education in the Philippines.
The primary objective of this act is to integrate all the PSHS campuses – those existing in Diliman, Eastern Visayas, Western Visayas, Mindanao, as well as other future campuses which shall be established by law – into one system of governance and management. This will ensure uniformity in quality standards, thus maintaining leadership in secondary level science and technology education in the Philippines.
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The idea of a science high schoool in the philippines came from a filipino mathematician, Dr Leopoldo V. Torralballa, who was then a porfessor of mathematics at new yourk University. Patterned after the Bronx High School of Science in Ney York City, the envisioned science high school was created for the purpose of giving an education highly enriched in science and mathematics to exceptionally gifted Filipino childre. |
Campuses For 24 years, the PSHS in Diliman was the sole site where the top examinees in the annual National Competitive Examinations were accepted as government scholars. Today, the PSHS System has grown to include seven other regional campuses – Cagayan Valley Campus – Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Bicol Region Campus – Goa, Camarines Sur Central Mindanao Gampus – Tubod, Lanao del Norte Eastern Visayas Campus – Palo, Leyte Western Visayas Campus – Jaro, lloilo Southern Mindanao Campus – Davao City llocos Region Campus – San lldefonso, llocos Sur |
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PSHS is the first choice fo pver 75{1104248511d637c6a51014dcaacb77de829b1de96a4faa7392b7bed9a15aa427} of valedictourans and honor students from both private and public schools nationwide PSHS review classes in many tutorial centers. |
In the future, plans for each of the country's administrative regions include building a PSHS campus to provide education and support for young people who would like to pursue careers in science and technology.
Awards
PSHS students, who also are considered government scholars, are provided with free tuition, a loan of textbooks, and a monthly s tipend of P500.
Students who are less privileged also receive uniform, transport ation and living allowances as much as P2,000 a month depending on their family's financial status.
PSHS is dedicated to selecting the most gifted children in the country. These children are given access to an accelerated secondary school curriculum with special emphasis on math, science and technology and are taught by the most -qualified faculty in the country. Thriving under a competitive high -pressure environment, they are encouraged to pursue careers in science and technology after graduating from high school.
Curriculum
PSHS students study math, computer science, biology, chemistry physics and scientific research throughout their four years. 70{1104248511d637c6a51014dcaacb77de829b1de96a4faa7392b7bed9a15aa427} of the subjects are in these areas. ln their junior year, students take up advanced studies in biolo gy, chemistry, physics, research, algebra and trigonometry, software project planning, and robotics. The level of advancement in study leaves traditional high school s behind. By the time they reach their fourth and final year, PSHS students are already taking up math subjects that are part of the first two years of a university engineering curriculum.
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The school aims to cultivate in its gifted scholars a holistic education marked by excellence in science, mathematics and technology,that is humanistic in spirit, nationalistic in orientateion, and global in perspective. |
Facilities
To support its objectives and stature, the campuses are equipped withlaboratories and technical facilities that strengthen the science – intensive curriculum. Because of funding constraints by the national government, most of the facilities have been set up through partnerships with the business community, alumni, and other higher educational institutions.
Its notable contributions include:
an lT laboratory donated by Mirant Philippines which committed P15 million in computer equipment and manpower
robots and accessories from The Science Education lnstitute which led to the introduction of robotics into the curriculum, thus enhancing the students' learning of physics, electronics, robotic programming and interface controlling concepts
the P2 million advanced physics laboratory in the Diliman Campus which was a donation from PSHS Class '76 in partnership with several corporate sponsors
the P1.5 million advanced research laboratory donated by PSHS Class'75 in the Diliman campus
laboratory equipment upgrades valued at P1 million from Procter & Gamble and Laguna Bel-Air Properties
The cream of the crop
The PSHS System has inarguably the most selective admissions program in the country. Only the top 10{1104248511d637c6a51014dcaacb77de829b1de96a4faa7392b7bed9a15aa427} of graduating elementary students are allowed to apply for admission. Applicants' grade standings are confirmed with their schools
before they are allowed to go through a two -step screening process.
The first screening is the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), consisting of tests in Verbal, Abstract Reasoning and Mathematics. Because the curriculum is slanted towards science and math, the second screening is the Science and Math Aptitude Test (SMAT).
PSHS is the first choice of over 75{1104248511d637c6a51014dcaacb77de829b1de96a4faa7392b7bed9a15aa427} of valedictorians and honor students from both private and public schools nationwide. A whole industry has grown to provide PSHS review classes in many tutorial centers. For schoolyear 2002-2003 alone, 1 6,030 took the SAT in December 2001 in 69 testing centers around the country.
Out of this group, a total of 3,090 qualified to take the second screen ing which took piace in March 2002. Only 709 qualified and were offered admission at PSHS.
No other educational institution, public or private, has such a low offer rate of less than 5{1104248511d637c6a51014dcaacb77de829b1de96a4faa7392b7bed9a15aa427}. Given the prestige of studying in th e country's most elite secondary educational institution, it's no wonder ihat ofier acceptance rate was 75{1104248511d637c6a51014dcaacb77de829b1de96a4faa7392b7bed9a15aa427}. When it started in 1964, the Diliman campus admitted only 120 students a year. Today, some 240 freshmen students are admitted to the PSHS Main Campus in Diliman every year. 70{1104248511d637c6a51014dcaacb77de829b1de96a4faa7392b7bed9a15aa427} of these come from NCR, with the remainder coming from other regions.
The seven other regional campuses each admit 90 first-year students every year. ln schoolyear 2002-2003, over 2,500 students in all year levels were enrolled in the seven PSHS campuses. 35{1104248511d637c6a51014dcaacb77de829b1de96a4faa7392b7bed9a15aa427} were enrolled in Diliman. From 1969 to the present, the PSHS system has graduated a total of 8,000 students, with over 6,000 coming from the Diliman campus.
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