A History of The System of Education in The Philippines - Its Implication For The Present Generation

A History of the System of Education in the
Philippines – Its Implication for the Present

Generation
By Guest Post / Teaching & Education / 65 Comments
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In ancient Philippines, children were given the rudiments of education. Such education was
both academic and vocation. The father trained his sons to be warriors, hunters, fishermen,
miners, lumbermen and ship builders. The mother on her part trained her daughters in
cooking, gardening, serving and other household arts.
It is said that in ancient Panay, there was a barangay school called Bothoan under the
charge of the teacher usually an old man. The subjects taught to the children in this
barangay school were reading, writing, arithmetic, use of weapons
and lubus (acquiring kinaadman or amulets).
Hence, education during that time was geared toward their needs. Because of colonization
by several foreign countries and several historical events, our education underwent several
changes although we also retained some of the ancient teachings which are practical even
during our time.
With the country’s celebration of independence in 1946, scarcely seven decades ago, have
come every aspect of educational system in line with the new status of a new nation seeking
to achieve and maintain political and economic independence and to fashion a nation truly
united out of social and cultural diversities.
Table of Contents
 Introduction of the Western or European System of Education
 Education under the Americans
 Education under the Commonwealth
 Education under the Japanese
 The Iloilo Experiment
 Educational Thrust of the New Society and Today
o History of Philippine Educational System (Presentation):
Introduction of the Western or European System of

Education
With the coming of Spain, the European system of education was introduced to the
archipelago. Primary schools, colleges and universities were established in our country by
the missionaries.
The principal aim of Spain in the Philippines during their regime was to make the native
Filipinos obedient and God-fearing Christians. For this reason, religion was a compulsory
subject at all levels – from the primary schools to the universities.
The first schools were the parochial schools opened by the missionaries in their parishes. In
addition to religion, the native children in these schools were taught reading, writing,
arithmetic and some vocational and practical arts subjects.
Later on, colleges for boys and girls were opened by the missionaries. These colleges were
the equivalent of our high schools today. The subjects taught to the students included
history, Latin, geography, mathematics and philosophy.
[blockquote type=”center”]What the Philippines needs is a realistic educational system

adaptable to local conditions.[/blockquote]
There was no co-education during the Spanish times. Boys and girls studied in separate
schools.
University education was started in the Philippines during the early part of the 17th century.
Originally, the colleges and universities were open only to the Spaniards and those with
Spanish blood (mestizos). It was only during the 19th century that these universities began
accepting native Filipinos.
It is interesting to note that for nearly 300 years, education in the Philippines was the
primary responsibility of the Catholic Church. The missionaries established the schools,
provided the teachers and facilities and decided what should be taught. It was only in the
last half of the 19th century that the government took an active part in promoting
education in the colony. In 1863, a royal decree called for the establishment of a public
school system in the colony.
Education under the Americans

The United States had a different approach dictated by what the Americans considered to
be their principal goal in coming to the Philippines – “to educate and to train in the science
of self-government.”
Consequently, it was not surprising that the United States considered educating the Filipinos
as one of its top priorities in the Philippines. Even while US troops were consolidating their
foothold in Manila in 1898, schools were already opened in the city. But unlike the Spaniards
who neglected to propagate their language, the Americans made it a point to teach English
to the Filipinos. The American soldiers were the first teachers of the Filipinos.
In January 1901, free primary education was provided and a school for Filipino teachers was
established. It called for the recruitment of trained teachers in America. It abolished
compulsory religious instruction.
The Americans gave bright young Filipino students opportunity to take up higher education
in American colleges and universities. These Filipinos came to be known
as “pensionados” for their education in the United States was financed by the government
in the Philippines. Hundreds of Filipino pensionados were able to study in the US until 1928.
From the ranks of these pensionados came the future civic, business and political leaders of
our country.
Hungry for education, the Filipinos flocked to public and private schools in large numbers.
Education under the Commonwealth

Education continued to receive from the Commonwealth government the same attention
that the Americans gave it. President Quezon created the National Council of Education in
1936 as an advisory body on educational matters. The council made important
recommendations to further improve the educational system in the Philippines. Most of
these recommendations were accepted and carried out by the government.
Under the Commonwealth, vocational and adult education were given emphasis.
It was also during the Commonwealth regime that an organized effort to develop a
common national language was stared in compliance with the mandate of the 1935
constitution.
To help counteract the American cultural influence among the Filipinos, President Quezon
greatly encouraged the revival of native culture as well as desirable Filipino values.
And to help strengthen the moral fibers of the Filipinos and to foster love of country
especially among the youth, President Quezon issued his famous Code of Ethics which was
required to be taught in all schools.
In 1940, several changes were made in the Philippine educational system by virtue of the
Educational Act of 1940. Under this law, the elementary course was reduced from 7 years to
6 years. The minimum age for admission to Grade I was raised to 7. The school calendar was
also changed so instead of the school year from June to March, it was changed to July to
April.
Education under the Japanese

Schools and churches were also used as propaganda tools of the Japanese. Nippon-go, the
Japanese language, was made a compulsory subject in all schools. In government and
private offices, classes in Nippon-go were opened to propagate the Japanese language and
culture. Japanese Catholic priests were sent to the Philippines to help promote the idea that
Japan, being an Asian country, was a friend of all Asian people’s including the Filipinos.
The Iloilo Experiment

In 1948. Dr. Jose V. Aguilar, the Superintendent of the Iloilo school division initiated a six
year experiment with vernacular instruction in his school division. The experiment involved
seven control schools where English was used as the medium of instruction in Grades 1 and
2 and seven experimental schools where the vernacular, Hiligaynon, was used as the
instructional medium. This was controversial. As late as 1963, the Dean of the College of
Education, Xavier University on the island of Mindanao, observed that the vernacular
instruction was not producing maximum results. It was curtailing full instructional benefit.
Instead of narrowing the regional gaps of the country, it was widening it and was producing
dangerous trends towards regional and cultural imbalance.
Educational Thrust of the New Society and Today

It was assumed that the most fundamental objective of education is the development of an
individual’s potential which will simultaneously improve society. Educational policies have
been geared to the accomplishment of better manpower production through the
understanding by the students of land reform, taxation, economic production, anti-drug and
anti-pollution and conservation education. To accomplish these goals, the value and work
oriented curricula were encouraged. However, many parents and teachers were still
confused because they did not understand the philosophy, operations, and evaluations of
this innovation in education. The concept of an average layman or teacher in the “new
society” was always associated with the advent of Martial Law. This must be redirected to a
functional definition of wholesome integration of our economic, social and moral lives for a
progressive Philippines. The direction of education as envisioned by our educators can be
best described by the following changes:
1. A relevant and flexible curriculum. Educational content is focused on the need of

society which is for sound economy. This means better knowledge in skills and food
production, conservation of natural resources, technical knowledge in harnessing
mineral deposits and less emphasis on white collar jobs which result only in
producing the “educated unemployed.”
2. Productive-coordinated technocrats. The inevitable reorganization of the
Department of Education (DepEd) was a response to these needs. For centuries, our
educational system generally operated on a system of isolation where the Bureau of
Public, Private and Vocational Education worked almost independently and
promoted secrecy and privacy instead of attaining harmony for the good of our
country.
3. A quality teacher with effective methods of teaching. To teach effectively, the
teacher must have the solid foundations in terms of educational training from
reputable institutions, update his method of teaching by reading and attending
conferences, and should have the courage of trying out various means or ways of
maximizing learner. To do this, it becomes necessary to understand the psychology
of pupils and to be able to communicate with them in teaching-learning situations.
The increase in teachers’ pay should be a strong justification for the better policy on
the recruitment and retention of teachers.
Every time changes in our educational system occur to search for the solution for our
educational ills, some pressure groups interfere and say it is “unrealistic and
expensive,” which is not a valid reason. Courage and energy for action should be sustained
to invigorate the lives of the citizenry.
After four centuries and a half of being a colony of Spain, America and Japan, the concern of
the Filipino educators and policy makers is the Filipinization of the Filipinos and Filipino
institutions. Alejandro Roces, while holding office as the Secretary of Education, voiced this
concern thus:

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A History of the System of Education in the

Philippines – Its Implication for the Present

Introduction of the Western or European System of

[blockquote type=”center”]What the Philippines needs is a realistic educational system

Education under the Americans

Education under the Commonwealth

Education under the Japanese

The Iloilo Experiment

Educational Thrust of the New Society and Today

1. A relevant and flexible curriculum. Educational content is focused on the need of

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