Manila

Education

The Philippine educational system is made up of six years of elementary school, four years of secondary school (high school), and higher education (college or university). Children are required to attend the first four years of

elementary school. Approximately 88 percent of those over 15 years of age are literate.

Several universities are based in Metro Manila. The Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City offers elementary, secondary and undergraduate education, as well as graduate schools of arts and science, law, and business. The University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) contains colleges of medicine, nursing, public health, pharmacy, and dentistry, and supports institutes of ophthalmology and socio-biomedical research. Philippine General Hospital is the training hospital for the UPM colleges. Founded in 1611, the University of Santo Tomas is Asia's oldest university. Originally located within the walled city of Intramuros and intended for the education of priests, it has moved to larger quarters in Sampaloc, and now offers a wide range of courses, including music, architecture, engineering, business administration, and education. Other institutes of higher education in Metro Manila include the University of the Philippines (in Quezon City), De LaSalle University, the University of the East (UE Manila), Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT), and Asia Pacific College.