Senate approves bill recognizing British School Manila as an international educational institution

The Senate today approved on third and final reading a bill which seeks to recognize the British School Manila (BSM) as an educational institution of international character.

Senator Francis Chiz Escudero, chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, authored and sponsored Senate Bill No. 1527 with Senators Loren Legarda and Antonio Trillanes IV as co-authors.

According to Escudero, the passage of the bill will help enable the school to carry out its educational program, improve its standard of instruction and meet the needs of the foreign diplomatic and temporary resident community for quality education.

"The British School of Manila is hereby declared and officially recognized as a British international education institution authorized to operate educational programs that primarily and principally adhere to universally accepted and recognized educational policies," the bill said.

BSM is an educational institution which started in 1976 with two classrooms and 36 students.

To date, the institution now caters to more than 930 students, representing 33 nationalities, Filipinos included.

According to the explanatory note, the school follows an adopted form of the English National Curriculum and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma.

Based on assessments, students from BSM perform well above UK and international expectations.

"The BSM is proud to uphold the high standard of the British education system while taking advantage of the school's multi-cultural setting," Legarda, co-author of the measure, said.

"After its more than four decades of existence, operation and service in this country, it is high time that the Philippine government through Congress extends its formal recognition to BSM as a distinguished educational institution of international character," Trillanes said.