Local colleges and universities (LCUs) are higher educational institutions that are being run by

local government units The Philippines is divided into four levels of administrative divisions, with the lower three being defined in the Local Government Code of 1991 as local government units (LGUs). They are, from the highest to the lowest: # Regions () are mostly u ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. A local government unit (LGU) maybe a barangay, a municipality, city, or a province that puts up a post-secondary institution based on Section 447(a)(5)(x) (Municipality), 458(a)(5)(x) (City), and 468(a)(4)(iii) (Province) of th
Local Government Code of 1991
which provide that

"subject to availability of funds and to existing laws, rules and regulations the" LGU "shall establish and provide for the operation of
vocational A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity. A calling, in the reli ...
and
technological Technology is the application of conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible tools such as ute ...
schools and similar post-secondary institutions and, with approval of the
Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
, fix and collect reasonable fees and other school charges at said institutions, subject to existing laws on tuition fees."

With this law, a large portion of the functions of the national government such as public works, social welfare, health services, and education was transferred to the local government. LCUs operate on the premise that the territorial boundary of the LGU, with all the education infrastructure and facilities built by the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

, or

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

, is the university campus itself. It means that an LCU has free access to all the structures found in the LGU, including its library, sports complex, hospitals, business establishments, and barangay centers.

History

The forerunner of local colleges and universities or LCUs are the community schools which usually function as elementary or secondary schools at daytime and, toward the end of the day, convert into a

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

. This type of educational institution were limited to the old Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) infrastructure, while LCUs are of recent origin. In 1965, the

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila The Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), also officially as the University of the City of Manila, is a Local colleges and universities (Philippines), municipal public university in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. It is funded by the city g ...

, the first institution of higher learning in the Philippines to be fully subsidized by a local government unit, was established through the ''Republic Act 4196'', which authorizes the City of

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

to operate its own university. For more than two decades, the PLM was the only local university in the country until the creation of other local universities and colleges through the enactment and implementation of the ''Republic Act 7160'', also known as the "Local Government Code of 1991," and the ''Republic Act 7796'', or the ''Technical Education and Skills Development Act of 1994''. With an increased share of taxes from 11% to 40% given by the national government units plus their own income as highly urbanized cities or

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

, a good number of LGUs decided to put up their own LCUs. LGUs are aware that while it is easy even for poor families to send their children to elementary and high school because costs are relatively lower, sending them to college poses a big problem. It is in this light that local government units are inspired to establish and maintain institutions of higher learning (HEIs) in their own localities. Through an LCU, high school graduates from poor families can earn a three- to six-month course certificate, two-year associate degree, or a four-year Baccalaureate degree paying only minimal, if any, tuition fee. This is exemplified by the

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig The Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig (PLP) is a local university run by the Pasig city government in the Philippines. History On March 15, 1999, the Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Pasig Pasig, officially the City of Pasig (), is a highly-urba ...

, and the

University of Makati The University of Makati ( or ), commonly referred to as UMak (or pronounced as yūmāk/, is a public, Local colleges and universities (Philippines), local city university located in Embo (barangays), West Rembo, Taguig, Metro Manila, Phili ...

, which have graduated deserving students from low-income families.

Naming

To create a standard and distinction between a "community college" and a "local college and university" and to have better planning purposes and more fair distribution of technical and financial assistance by the national government, the

Association of Local Colleges and Universities The Association of Local Colleges and Universities or simply ALCU is composed of forty (40) local colleges and universities of the Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipel ...

, and the director and staff of the

Commission on Higher Education The Commission on Higher Education (CHED; ) is a government agency under the Office of the President of the Philippines. It is responsible for regulating and governing all higher education institutions and post-secondary educational programs i ...

(CHED) Office of Programs and Standards visited all the "community colleges" that were included in the CHED statistics.

References

{{Reflist Universities and colleges in the Philippines Higher education in the Philippines

History

Naming

See also

References