To the Filipino, knowledge is acquired through education. Although they generally agree that education can be obtained inside and outside school, they believe that the primary sources of knowledge are the schools. Thus, the higher a person goes up the formal educational ladder, the more knowledge he or she acquires and expectedly, the more wealth he or she generates or produces. Being wealthy means having power, influence and social prestige. Thus, earning a college diploma means acquiring the key to economic and social opportunities. The supreme ambition of every Filipino family, therefore, is to send every child to college regardless of the sacrifices it might entail on the part of at least one of the children, preferably the oldest child, should get a college degree so that he or she can take care of a younger sibling's college education, who in turn can assume the obligation of supporting the next younger sibling's education. The study of Filipino perceptions of schooling revealed that Filipinos have a clear idea of the purpose of formal education. They even viewed education as a process of human capital formation. This just shows how Filipinos value the importance of education.
The development of a country depends to a large degree on the amount of resources invested in education and the extent to which this investment succeeds in enhancing the quality and productivity of its people. The Philippine educational system has been assailed by various sectors of the society for its deficiencies, which have allegedly led to the deterioration of quality. The quality of education that the students get can be based upon their surroundings. Quality education does not take place under a tree, but in a conducive environment with the basic components of schooling such as classroom, textbooks, desks and chairs. It is generally accepted that the standard of education is directly correlated with the level of economic progress of a country.