1.

School plant refers to everything within the school premises which includes the site, buildings,
equipment and all essential structures, permanent and non-permanent as well as machines and
laboratory equipment and others.

2.The impact of school facilities on educational quality

A review of the most recent literature indicates that investments to improve school infrastructure has
effects on the educational quality at least in the following three dimensions:

 Attendance and completion of academic cycles. According to UNESCO, the school drop-out rate
in Latin America is 17 percent, and greater in rural areas. Several studies have found that the
physical conditions of school buildings positively affects school completion and cycle completion
rates, and increases registration. For example, in Peru the World Bank found that investments in
school facilities had a very significant positive effect on students' attendance rates.

Teacher motivation. Evidence in Bangladesh, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Peru, and Uganda indicates that
teachers in schools with good infrastructure have, on average, 10 percent less absenteeism than
teachers in schools with deficient infrastructure. In fact, the study found that infrastructure had a
greater effect reducing absenteeism than teacher salaries or the effect of the administrative tolerance
for absences.

Learning results. Studies carried out in the United States, such as the one conducted by 21st Century
School Fund in 2010, found positive results which are statistically significant between school
infrastructure and standardized tests to measure learning processes in many parts of the country. With
lower student socio-economic levels, the results were higher.

Hanushek (1995) found that the results of 34 studies with production functions in developing countries
that analyzed the relationship between school facilities and learning mostly found a positive effect.
Vélez, Schiefelbein, and Valenzuela (1993)also indicate positive results between infrastructure quality
and learning, based on a review of close to 70 models of functions of production carried out during 20
years in Latin America.

Empiric evidence indicates that there is a direct relationship between school infrastructure and
educational performance, and that investments in educational infrastructure contribute to improve the
quality of education and the economic performance of countries.

Rivera explains "To optimize investments in education it is essential for authorities to observe the
significant role of infrastructure interacting with other essential educational inputs to be able to
undertake comprehensive proposals that together, improve the quality of education, thus promoting
greater equality of opportunities and contribute to reduce inequalities and advance toward a real
productive transformation in the region".

3.Department of Agriculture and Department of Health

4.HEALTH FACILITIES AND SERVICES REGULATORY BUREAU (HFSRB)

GENERAL FUNCTIONS

Set minimum standards for regulation of health facilities and services

Disseminate regulatory policies and standards for information and compliance

Issue permits to construct, License to Operate and Certificate of Accreditation

Monitoring of health facilities and services to ensure sustainability of health facilities compliance wioth
regulatory standards

Provide technical assistance, consultation and advisory services to stakeholders regarding health
facilities regulation

Develop and constructs research relative to regulation of health facilities and services

Conducts fact-finding on complaints against health facilities and services

Acts on complaints against hospitals and other health facilities

DIVISIONS

Standards Development Division

Specific Functions:

Formulate/ revise the following for health facilities and services:

Regulatory standards

Technical requirements

Guidelines and SOPs

Establish consultative mechanisms to ensure applicability of regulatory standards

Ensure systematic dissemination of regulatory standards

Recommend issuance of permit to construct for hospitals and other health facilities

Evaluate appropriateness/ relevance of existing standards

Provide consultative and advisory services relative to regulatory standards and technical requirements;
and

Regulate practice of health-related services specifically on providers not covered by the Professional
Regulation Commission

Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement Division

Specific Functions:

Evaluate and act on application for:

Licensing

Initial and Renewal (Level II and Level III)

 Other Facilities

Accreditation

OFW Medical clinics

Ambulatory surgical clinics

Other Facilities

Application for Permit to Construct

Conduct inspection of hospitals and other health facilities

Recommend issuance of LTO, certificate of accreditation, permit to construct and clearance for SEC
endorsements

Authenticate medical examination, certificates and AIDS Free certifications for OFWs

Analyze statistical report