The Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) announced that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in public schools will be allowed following the issuance of the Basic Guidelines on Artificial Intelligence in Basic Education known as Ministerial Order No. 003 of the 2026 Series, Philippine News Agency reported on February 25.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara stressed that AI could serve as a “support tool” in education and education, saying, “There are ethical uses for AI. We are not going to ban the use of AI.”
The guidelines, announced on February 20, will allow teachers, non-educational staff, and students to use AI tools such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Grammarly, Quillbot, Canva, Tome, and Khanmigo, provided they follow “ethical, educational, and human-centered standards.”
DepEd clarified that AI must “strictly function” as a tool and should not replace teachers. It can be used to create and enhance teaching materials, analyze data, check grammar, verify citations in research and data collection, and evaluate exams, quizzes, activities, and other assessment tools.
The agency emphasized that human judgment is extremely important in all educational matters within public schools. AI is classified as “high risk” and should only be used with strict safeguards and human supervision for grading, admissions, scholarship decisions, and disciplinary actions. In contrast, the use of chatbots for administrative queries, spam filtering, grammar correction, and IT automation is considered low risk.
“We just need students to disclose how they use AI so that we can incorporate it into their learning,” Angara said, noting that this direction will promote responsible use for both students and teachers.
“This is a phased policy, where more independent learners will be given more freedom,” Angara said.
However, government agencies prohibit the use of AI apps that pose significant risks to rights, safety, and well-being. Prohibited applications include AI systems that use biometrics and emotional recognition, manipulative chatbots, and more.
In January, DepEd along with Chancellor Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. launched Project AGAP.AI (Artificial Intelligence Accelerating Governance and Adaptive Pedagogy), a government initiative aimed at promoting advanced AI literacy in education. The project aims to provide students with early exposure to AI tools that can improve problem-solving, creativity, and critical thinking skills.
Approximately 1.05 million students, 300,000 educators and 150,000 parents in the country will benefit from an AI skills training program funded in partnership with the ASEAN Foundation and Google.
Different views on the ethical use of AI in education
For many years, there has been debate about the ethical use of AI, especially in education. In early February, The Conversation published a newsletter discussing whether AI facilitates fraud and whether it should be tolerated.
Meanwhile, the Philippines is considered an early adopter of AI in Southeast Asia, according to a report by the ASEAN Foundation. The report said about 83% of Filipino students use AI tools for educational purposes and 73% of educators use AI for teaching. This gap is mainly due to generational differences, with younger students having an easier time adapting to technology.
Furthermore, only half of the region’s schools provide mandatory training and guidance on the use of AI, leading to low trust in institutional AI policies among educators.
In 2024, a study by Abdulrahman Al-Zahrani identified potential negative effects of the use of AI in education, including loss of human connection, data privacy and security concerns, algorithmic bias and discrimination, and lack of transparency and explainability.
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