UNESCO defines Media and Information Literacy as a set of competencies that empowers citizens to access, retrieve, understand, evaluate and use, to create as well as share information and media content in all formats, using various tools, in a critical, ethical and effective way, in order to participate and engage in personal, professional and societal activities.
The Philippines is among the first country to adapt Media and Information Literacy as part of basic education curriculum. The Department of Education in the new K-12 Basic Education Curriculum included Media and Information Literacy as part of the Core Subjects under the Communication Learning Area for Senior High School (SHS) at Grade 11 or 12 with one semester allocation.
The Media and Information Literacy course introduces the learners to basic understanding of media and information as channels of communication and tools for the development of individuals and societies. It also aims to develop students to be creative and critical thinkers as well as responsible users and competent producers of media and information.