The Department of Education has issued Order No. 003, s. 2026 to guide AI integration in Philippine classrooms. Signed by Education Secretary Sonny Angara on February 20, 2026, the order provides the first comprehensive national framework for AI in basic education.
The guidelines address risks including data privacy breaches, misleading content, and uneven access to AI tools. They introduce pre-deployment checks such as the Privacy Impact Assessment and Digital Maturity Assessment, along with a DepEd AI Registry that classifies tools by risk level. Project AGAP.AI, launched on January 9, 2026, supports the order by building AI literacy among 1.5 million students, teachers, and parents. The measures aim to protect human agency and promote inclusion while requiring schools to manage ongoing classroom risks. The order mandates AI Use Declarations and compliance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012. It establishes risk categories ranging from unacceptable to minimal, with stricter rules for high-stakes uses like grading and admissions.
