Philippine Science High School System
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Philippine Science High School System | |
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| Established | 1964 |
|---|---|
| School type | Public |
| Director/School Head | Ramon Miranda, Ph. D. (System Executive Director) |
| Enrollment | 2,821 (school year 2004-2005) |
| System offices | Agham Road, North Triangle, Diliman, Quezon City |
| Campuses | Diliman, Quezon City; Ilocos Sur (Ilocos Region); Nueva Vizcaya (Cagayan Valley); Camarines Sur (Bicol Region); Iloilo City (Western Visayas); Cebu (Central Visayas); Leyte (Eastern Visayas); Lanao del Norte (Central Mindanao); Davao City (Southern Mindanao) |
| Information | (02)924-0614 (Registrar's Office) |
| Website | www.pshs.edu.ph |
The Philippine Science High School System, commonly known as Philippine Science, Phil Sci, or Pisay, is a special public high school in the Philippines, with a system fully separate from high schools operated under the Philippine Department of Education (it is an attached agency of the Philippine Department of Science and Technology).
The PSHS System offers scholarships to Filipino students who are exceptionally gifted in the sciences and mathematics, "helping the country reach a critical mass of professionals in science and technology." Admission to the PSHS is by competitive examination only, and only Filipino citizens are eligible to attend. Graduates of the PSHS are bound by law to major in the pure & applied sciences, mathematics, or engineering upon entering college.
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[edit] Campuses
For 24 years, the PSHS was a single campus located at Agham Road, Diliman, Quezon City where the top 240 examinees in a National Competitive Examinations held yearly were accepted as government scholars.
From the first campus in Diliman, Quezon City, the PSHS has expanded into a nationwide system of eight campuses:
- PSHS Main Campus, Diliman, Quezon City (September 5, 1964)
- PSHS Southern Mindanao Campus, Davao City (July 1988)
- PSHS Western Visayas Campus, Jaro, Iloilo (July 1, 1993)
- PSHS Eastern Visayas Campus, Palo, Leyte (April 10, 1994)
- PSHS Cagayan Valley Campus, Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya (June 1998)
- PSHS Central Mindanao Campus, Tubod, Lanao del Norte (June 1998)
- PSHS Bicol Region Campus, Goa, Camarines Sur (July 1998)
- PSHS Ilocos Region Campus, San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur (July 14, 2003)
A ninth campus, the PSHS Central Visayas Campus, has been established at Argao, Cebu.
The main campus has around 30 students in each class, with 8 classes per batch, in a total of about 240 students in each year level.
The regional campuses accept 90 freshmen scholars every year.
In the near future, each of the country's administrative regions is envisioned to provide for a PSHS campus.
[edit] System Organization
The Board of Trustees is the highest policy making body of the PSHS System. The Executive Director coordinates the implementation of these policies and guidelines.
The Executive Committee, composed of the directors of the different PSHS campuses and chaired by the Executive Director, is a collegial body that recommends policies and guidelines for the consideration of the Board.
The PSHS System Board of Trustees is composed of eight ex oficio members and five private sector representatives.
The PSHS campuses are headed by directors who are members of the PSHS Executive Committee (Execom).
The current campus directors are:
- Dr. Jessamyn Marie O. Yazon (Officer-in-Charge), Main Campus
- Dr. Larry L. Cabatic , Ilocos Region Campus
- Dr. Efren B. Mateo, Cagayan Valley Campus
- Mrs. Elsie G. Ferrer (Officer-in-Charge), Bicol Region Campus
- Dr. Josette T. Biyo (Officer-in-Charge), Western Visayas Campus
- Dr. Estrella A. de Dios (Officer-in-Charge), Eastern Visayas Campus
- Mr. Pedrito G. Padilla (Officer-in-Charge), Central Visayas Campus
- Dr. Ciriaco M. Gillera, Central Mindanao Campus
- Dr. Rosita V. Fundador, Southern Mindanao Campus
[edit] History
The Philippine Science High School was officially established by Republic Act 3661 which was signed into law in 1963 by President Diosdado Macapagal. This charter mandates the PSHS “to offer on a free scholarship basis a secondary course with emphasis on subjects pertaining to service with the end in view of preparing its students for a science career." The school started operations in 1964.
National Scientist Dr. Gregorio Velasquez led the PSHS through its first three years of infancy. The campus was located at GSIS-owned property along the Quezon Memorial Circle. In 1970, the PSHS started building on a 75,000 square metre lot along Agham Road in Diliman.
By the end of the eighties, the first regional campuses were built, starting with the Mindanao Campus (now Southern Mindanao Campus), located in Davao City, in 1988.
The PSHS System Law (R.A. 8496, signed by President Fidel V. Ramos in 1997) established the PSHS System and unified all the existing campuses into a single system of governance and management. Thus, the PSHS continues fulfilling its mandate “to offer, on a free scholarship basis, a secondary course with special emphasis on subjects pertaining to the sciences, with the end view of preparing its students for a science career”.
[edit] Academics and Admissions
[edit] Admissions Process
Roughly 17,000 students enter the Philippine Science High School exams annually. Those who achieve the highest scores are admitted to the PSHS Main Campus, located in Quezon City. The rest are admitted to campuses on other parts of the Philippines.
Admission to the PSHS System is through the PSHS System National Competitive Examination (PSHS-NCE). It is a two-step screening given to all qualified elementary students. To be eligible for admission, applicants must be Filipino students who must belong to the top 10% of the graduating class or must have special aptitude in science and math.
The first screening is the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). It consists of tests in Verbal, Abstract Reasoning and Mathematics. The second screening is the Science Math Aptitude Test (SMAT). It consists of tests in Science and Mathematics. Examinations are held during the first part of the school year.
[edit] Alumni profile
Roughly seventy percent (70%) of alumni are in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics. The rest are in the humanities, journalism, law, business administration, accountancy, public administration, the military and religious ministry.
[edit] External links
- PSHS System official website (main source of information for this page)
- PSHS National Alumni Association
- PSHS (Diliman Campus) Alumni Association
- Current (2006) Pictures of PSHS Diliman from chrislagman.com
- Websites and Mailing Lists of PSHS Diliman Alumni from chrislagman.com
- Sink or Swim: ‘Pisay’ graduates are accused of overconfidence and academic delinquency in college, a Newsbreak special report (a PSHS graduate's rebuttal can be found at Crimson Crux)
