SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
'14 
JUN -9 P 4 :51 
SENATE 
S. N022'f7 
(in substitution of S.Nos. 275,1889 and 2156, taking into consideration H. No. 
4085) 
Prepared by the Committees on Education, Arts and Culture; and Finance 
with Senators Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., Miriam Defensor Santiago, Juan 
Edgardo M. Angara and Ralph G. Recto as authors thereof 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING THE OPEN HIGH SCHOOL SYSTEM IN THE PHILIPPINES 
AND APPROPRIATING FlJNDS THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
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SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act- shall be known as the "Open High 
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School System Act of 2014". 
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SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the 
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State to broaden access to relevant quality education through the employment of 
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an alternative secondary education progr<lm, that will en<lble the youth to 
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overcome personal, geographical, socio-economic and physical constraints, to 
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encourage them to complete secondary education. This is in line with the 
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Constitutional policy that mandates the State to, "encourage non-formal, informal, 
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and indigenous learning systems, as well as self-learning, independent, and out-
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of-school study programs particularly those that respond to community needs" as 
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stated in Article XIV, Section 2, par. 4 of the 1987 Constitution. 
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SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. - The terms used in this Act are hereby 
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defined as follows: 


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(a) Assistant Teacher or Para Guro refers to a degree holder in Education 
who manages a learning center and facilitates the learning process of a 
group of open learners. 
(b) Community Adviser or Tagapayong Pansamahan refers to the adviser 
from within the community who heips the open learners harmonize their 
studies with community service and leisure. 
(c) Learning Genter refers to a room in the mother high school or other 
designated area where the open learners can conduct researches or 
gather additional information on topics under study. It can also serve as 
a multipurpose area which may contain a classroom set-up, a library or 
a 
venue 
where 
the 
Source 
Person 
can 
conduct 
hands-on 
exercises/activities. 
(d) Mother High School or Inang Paaralan refers to a regular secondary 
school in the regionpl or division level that functions, among others, as: 
(1) Headquarters of the open learners and teachers; 
(2) Center for enrolment, evaluation, direct or face-to-face instruction 
and promotion of open learning; 
(3) Receiver of donations, instructional materials and reports relative to 
open learning; and 
(4) Coordinator of the different learning centers in the community. 
(e) Open High School System (OHSS) refers to a system of delivering 
educational services to high school students, utilizing print, radio, 
television, 
and 
computer-based 
communications, 
satellite . 
broadcasting, teleconferencing and other multi-media learning and 
teaching technologies that allow students to study on their own without 
having to regularly attend classes in conventional classrooms. 
(f) Open Learning refers to the philosophy of learning that is learner-
centered and flexible, enabling learners to learn at the time, place and 
pace which satisfies their circumstances and requirements. 
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(g) Source Person or Gurong Kadluan refers to any person with 
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specialized skills in practical or industrial subjects such as farming, 
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handicraft, auto-mechanics, tailoring and other skills. 
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(h) Teacher or Guro refers to a regular secondary school teacher of the 
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mother high school who is in charge of direct instruction, evaluation of 
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the learners' progress and keeping of the records of individual 
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learners. 
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(i) Teacher Adviser or Gurong Tagapatnubay refers to a regular 
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secondary school teacher of the mother high school who serves as 
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guidance counselor to the open learners, coordinates with the teachers 
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in evaluating the learners' progress, and prepares and submits reports 
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to the authorities concerned. 
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SEC. 4. Establishment of the OHSS. - The OHSS is hereby established 
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as part of the Department of Education's (DepED) alternative secondary 
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education program to provide access to secondary education through the open 
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learning modality. 
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SEC. 5. Coverage. - This Act shall apply to public secondary educational 
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institutions authorized to practice open learning through self-instructional 
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materials, multi-channel learning and school-family-community partnership as 
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well as other such institutions that shall be authorized as qualified implementers 
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of the OHSS. 
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All existing programs and projects of the Bureau of Secondary Education 
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(BSE) regarding dropout intervention and poverty alleviation through education 
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shall form part of the OHSS. 
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SEC. 6. Learners of the OHSS. - The OHSS shall be open to all youth 
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from ages eighteen (18) years old and below who have finished elementary 
3 education, as well as high school qualifiers of the Philippine Educational 
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Placement Test (PEPT). Those who wish to go back to finish their high school 
5 education but are already beyond 18 years old shall be referred to the Alternative 
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Learning System (ALS) of the DepED. 
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SEC. 7. Administration and Function. - The DepED, through the BSE, 
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shall administer the OHSS. An OHSS Unit shall be attached to the BSE to assist 
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in performing the following functions: 
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(a) Formulate the basic poliCies of the OHSS; 
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(b) Formulate, adopt and supplement programs that ensure effectivity and 
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productivity of the OHSS; 
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(c) Monitor and evaluate existing open learning programs for integration 
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with the OHSS; 
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(d) Develop and validate prototype instructional materials for open learning; 
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(e) Consult and collaborate with other DepED diviSions, local government 
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units (LGUs), civil society organizations and other private agencies for 
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the effective operation of the OHSS; 
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(f) Promulgate the necessary guidelines, rules and regulations for the 
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effective implementation of the OHSS; 
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(g) Recommend to the DepED the annual budget of the OHSS for inclusion 
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in the annual General Appropriations Act; and 
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(h) Perform such other tasks as may be necessary to attain the objectives 
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of the OHSS. 
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SEC. 8. Curriculum Content. -
The OHSS shall adopt the K to 12 
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Enhanced Basic Education Program using the standards and learning 
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competencies of different subject areas. 
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SEC. 9. Personnel Recruitment and Incentives. - The Teachers and 
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Teacher Advisers who shall render service under the OHSS are those who are 
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currently teaching in the mother high school that is implementing the program. 
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Assistant Teachers shall be hired by the DepED Division Office where the 
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concerned mother high school is under. They shall occupy a plantilla item that is 
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one salary grade lower than Teacher 1. The Teachers, Teacher Advisers and 
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Assistant Teachers shall receive incentives and/or monetary compensation as 
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determined by the BSE. 
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The Source Persons and Community Advisers shall be hired by the LGU 
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in accordance with the guidelines it shall issue on the hiring of personnel: 
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Provided, that said guidelines shall be prepared in consultation with the DepED . 
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The Source Person and the Community Adviser shall receive honoraria, to be 
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arranged with the local school board. 
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SEC. 10. Training of Teaching Staff. - The DepED shall be responsible 
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for the training of the Teachers, Teacher Advisers, Assistant Teachers and 
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Community Advisers. Training shall be done in coordination with the LGUs and 
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the non-government organizations concerned. 
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Non-teaching stakeholders such as parents and LGU personnel, among 
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others, who are needed to provide support to the OHSS, shall likewise be 
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included in the training program. 
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SEC. 11. Establishment of Learning Centers. - Every division of the 
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DepED shall establish learning centers in the authorized mother high schools 
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located in their jurisdiction. LGUs may also provide aSSistance for the 
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establishment of learning centers under the authority of a recognized mother high 
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school. 
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SEC. 12. Private Sector Participation. - Private educational institutions 
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may establish their own privately-funded learning centers following the standards 
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and criteria provided for in this Act for OHSS, subject to the approval of DepED. 
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SEC. 
13. 
Memorandum of Agreement.-
To 
ensure 
maximum 
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cooperation towards the success of the OHSS, the DepED, and the Department 
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of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) are encouraged to adopt a 
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Memorandum of Agreement defining their respective roles in the operation of the 
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OHSS. 
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The DepED shall encourage and promote partnership with concerned civil 
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society organizations and other service providers in order to sustain an enabling 
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environment for participatory planning, budgeting and implementation of the 
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OHSS related programs and projects. 
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SEC. 14. Appropriations. -
The amount necessary for the initial 
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implementation of this Act shall be charged against the current year's 
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appropriations of the Open High School Program of the BSE-DepED. Thereafter, 
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the amount necessary for the continued operation of the OHSS shall be included 
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in the DepED's budget in the annual General Appropriations Act. 
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SEC. 15. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) 
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Days after the effecitivity of this Act, the DepEd, in consultation with the DILG, 
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shall 
promulgate the 
rules 
and 
regulations 
needed 
for the 
effective 
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implementation of this Act. 
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SEC. 16. Se/larability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is held invalid 
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or unconstitutional, the other provisions not so declared shall remain in force and 
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effeot. 
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SEC. 17. Repealing Clause. -
All laws, decrees, orders, rules and 
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regulations and other issuances or parts thereof which are inconsistent with this 
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Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
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SEC. 18. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
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after its publication in the Official Gazatte. 
Approved, 
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