Lourdes Quisumbing (February 13, 1921 – October 14, 2017) served as the Philippines' Secretary of Education, Culture, and Sports from 1986 to 1989, under the presidency of

Corazon Aquino Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People P ...

. Prior to serving as Secretary, she was the president of

Maryknoll College Miriam College ( fil, Dalubhasaang Miriam) is a non-stock, non-profit Filipino Catholic educational institution for girls and young women in Quezon City, Philippines. It offers academic programs from pre-elementary to post-graduate and adult e ...

Education

Quisumbing has studied extensively in the field of education, completing a Bachelor of Education from St. Theresa's College; a Master of Education from the

University of San Carlos The University of San Carlos, also referred to by its acronym USC or colloquially shortened to San Carlos, is a private, Catholic, research, coeducational basic and higher education institution administered by the Philippine Southern Province ...

, and a Doctorate in Education from the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Miguel ...

. She has held teaching and administrative positions at various schools, and was President of the

Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities The Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) is a private, voluntary, non-profit and non-stock corporation which was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of the Philippines. It is a servic ...

(PAASCU).

Secretary of Education

Quisumbing was recommended to President Aquino for the post of Secretary of Education, Culture, and Sports by Justice Cecilia Muñoz-Palma. Aquino had wanted more women in her cabinet, and the position was often filled by someone with a background in private Catholic education. Muñoz-Palma had served as a trustee of Maryknoll College where Quisumbing was president, and Aquino contacted Quisumbing after hearing her recommendation. While President of Miriam (then Maryknoll) College, Quisumbing developed a curriculum of

values education Values education is the process by which people give moral values to each other. According to Powney et al. It can be an activity that can take place in ''any'' human organisation. During which people are assisted by others, who may be older, in a ...

. As Secretary of Education, she attempted to implement this curriculum at the national level. Also of concern during Quisumbing's tenure as Secretary was the state of higher education in the Philippines. She made numerous statements regarding the need for accreditation and for more alignment between educational and national goals. To address these concerns she commissioned the Task Force to Study State Higher Education, which ultimately reported that many state colleges and universities were operating without planning and without a clear mission. Quisumbing resigned as Secretary in December 1989, following the

1989 Philippine coup attempt File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

, and was replaced by Isidro Carino.

Later life

After leaving the Department of Education, Quisumbing has remained active in education initiatives in the Philippines and abroad, especially with

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. She is permanent representative to UNESCO for the Philippine government. She was the founder and first President of the UNESCO-Asia Pacific Network for International Education and Values Education (APNIEVE), and was a former Secretary-General of the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines (1990 to 1998). She was chairperson emerita on the Board of Trustees for Miriam College. Quisumbing died on 14 October 2017 at the age of 96.

References

1921 births 2017 deaths Secretaries of Education of the Philippines Women members of the Cabinet of the Philippines 20th-century Filipino women politicians 20th-century Filipino politicians Politicians from Cebu {{Philippines-politician-stub