The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) under Felipe M. de Leon, Jr. launched its program on SLTs in 1995.

[1][2][3] The NCCA supports SLTs as part of the UNESCO's mandate to preserve living traditions of the indigenous peoples.

SLTs are community-managed centers of learning headed by cultural masters and specialists who teaches knowledge or skills on a particular art, craft and tradition to the youth.

[6] In 2021, the SLTs were included in the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices under the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

The inclusion in the UNESCO list recognizes the efforts of the SLTs to safeguard traditional and cultural knowledge and practices from the potential negative effects of modernization.