The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) was mandated to preserve, promote and develop Philippine culture and the arts, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts Sub-commission on Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts in 1995. It stipulated that traditional knowledge and practices must be safeguarded from rapid cultural devaluation brought about by media, tourism, formal education, and religion.
A result of this was the creation of the School of Living Traditions (SLT) program involving informal, community-managed learning centers where practitioners can transmit their communities' intangible cultural heritage, skills, values, and knowledge to future generations.
As a result of a series of consultations, elders, leaders, and other community members identified priorities for safeguarding. The NCCA provided assistance in establishing the learning centers by providing capacity-building assistance and mobilizing logistics and other resources.
The NCCA initiated the enhancement of SLT program in 2015 to safeguard vital traditional cultural knowledge and practices from the potential negative effects of modernization. The program aims to develop, implement, and evaluate community-based measures to safeguard vital traditional cultural knowledge and practices.
To facilitate the transmission and viability of intangible cultural heritage, five-year community development programs are being developed in partnership with local organizations. As part of UNESCO's mandate to preserve indigenous cultures, the NCAA supports SLTs. Community-based centers headed by cultural masters and specialists assist in teaching knowledge and skills to youth about a particular art, craft, or tradition.
The educational style of SLTs is often "non-formal, oral, with practical demonstrations". The School of Living Traditions (SLT) is where a living master and culture bearer teach skills and techniques to produce a traditional art or craft. Teaching is usually non-formal, oral, and practical with demonstrations. The location can be the home of the living master, a community center, or a center that has been built for the purpose.
Culture bearers or specialists are considered to be individual who has mastered a particular skill or technique in doing a traditional art or craft. These individuals must teach their craft to a group of learners, and ensure that their students learn the skill.
As cultural heritage is passed from generation to generation, this program aims to specifically focus on the transmission of indigenous skills and techniques to the young. This will be carried out by encouraging cultural specialists to continue with their own work, develop and expand the frontiers of this work, and train youth to take their place in the future.