EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES: A HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT

1901-1910 (UNDER THE AMERICAN CIVIL GOVERNMENT)• free primary education was introduced to the country• the first public schools were established by the united states

army and these became the precursor of the Philippine public school system patterned after the state school system of the united states

• education act of 1901 (or act 74) establishing the department of public instruction (forerunner of the department of education, culture and sports

• English is the medium of instruction.• the department of public instruction introduced a three level

system of education: seven years basic elementary education (four years primary and three years intermediate), four years secondary education, and two years junior college

• during this period the university of the Philippines, Philippines school of arts and trades, and Philippines normal school were established

• vocational training which led to the establishment of various vocational schools all over the country.

1911-1920

• private schools during this period flourished

• the office of the superintended of private school were created to control and supervise the private schools.

• in 1917, the private school law (act of 2706) was enacted. it made obligatory the recognition and inspection of private schools and colleges by the department of public instruction so as to maintain a standard of efficiency in all private schools and colleges.

1921-1930

• the department of public instruction created a committee which took charge of the selection and approval of books.

• a study on the development education in the Philippine known as Monroe survey of the Philippine education, the study came out with the first comprehensive report on Philippine education indicating the strengths and weaknesses of American school system.

• industrial and agricultural secondary schools were organized

• primary and intermediate curricula were revised to emphasize industrial training for community building.

• military training for males in secondary schools was also introduced.

1931-1940 (COMMONWEALTH PERIOD)• passage of the education act of 1940

(commonwealth act 586) – which provided for the complete revision of the public elementary school system of the country.phase out of grade 7 from the elementary

school curriculumfixing the school entrance age to seven

years oldintroduction of double-single session

program ( first class in the morning and the other class in the afternoon under one teacher to accommodate more children

1941-1950 (JAPANESE OCCUPATION)• Filipino teachers were ordered by the Japanese

to delete parts of textbooks which had reference to the united states and Britain and to democratic principles

• in 1947, the department of public instruction was changed to department of education. it was during this year that republic act 137 was enacted creating the board of textbooks. this law mandated all publics schools to use only those books approved by the board.

1951-1960

• in the 1950s, the elementary education act (republic act 896) was implemented authorizing the compulsory education of all Filipino children, aged seven to thirteen. the act also repealed commonwealth act 586, thus restoring grade 7 which, however, double-single session was abolished and classes reverted to the “each one teach one”process.

• r.a. 896 further made compulsory the enrolment of children in the public school upon reaching the age of seven.

• republic act 1265 which was approved in 1955, all educational institution were required to have a daily flag ceremony which includes the singing of the Philippine national anthem.

• the government enacted a law (r.a. 1425) prescribing the inclusion of a course on the life, works, and writings of our national hero, dr. Jose Rizal, in the curricula of all public and private schools from the elementary to the university levels.

1961-1970

• the magna carta for public school teachers (r.a. 4670) was approved during the 1960s to promote and improve the social and economic status of public schools teachers. the magna carta included provision for the following areas ---- qualifications and procedures for recruitment of teachers, additional compensation, health and injury benefits.

• in 1969, president Ferdinand Edralin Marcos created the presidential commission to survey Philippine education (PCSPE). it recommended the overhaul of the education system

1971-1980• the department of education was renamed

department of education and culture to stress the major role of the department in economic and cultural development in 1972.

• the DEC reiterated the use of locally published textbooks written by Filipinos in all levels of education

• president arcos passed presidential decree 1006 declaring teachers as professional and teaching as profession. all teachers were required to pass the professional board examination for teachers (PBET) before they were allowed to teach

• in 1978, the department of education and culture was changed to ministry of education and culture (MEC) by virtue of P.D. 1397. the MEC aimed at decentralizing bureaucracy in the education department by establishing thirteen regional offices all over the country.

• in 1974, the national college entrance examination (NCEE) was implemented. requiring all senior high school students to pass the NCEE as a prerequisite for admission to any college degree program.

• the government launched the survey outcomes of elementary education (SOUTELE), a survey that revealed the turbulent state of elementary education in the country during the mid 70’s , as a result, the education department undertook measures to revise the elementary education curriculum and to improve the conditions of school teachers and school facilities

1981-1990

• the education act of 1982 provided for the establishment and maintenance of an integrated system of education

• article xiv of the 1987 constitution spelled out the various laws pertaining to education in the Philippines as well as the right of Filipino citizens, especially the children, to have access to quality education.

• in 1982 the ministry of education and culture (MEC) was renamed the ministry of education, culture and sports. (MECS)

• based on the results of SOUTELE, the program for decentralizing educational development (PRODED) was implemented to improve the quality of elementary education in terms of pupil participation and achievement

• the new elementary school curriculum (NESC) took effect beginning with grade 1 in June 1983. the NESC was an effort to return to basic education in response to the findings of the PCSPE in the early ‘70s

• the education department ordered the abolition of youth civic action program (YCAP) as a curricular requirement effective the second semester of SY 1983-1984.

• MECS was reorganized and then renamed department of education, culture and sports (DECS) when president Corazon Aquino became the president in 1986

• several educational breakthroughs came along during president Aquino’s term:

• the free public secondary education• private education student financial

assistance(PESFA)• continuation of the state scholarship study

program• the provision of loan assistance to poor but

deserving students through the study now pay later plan (SNPLP)

• the expansion of alternative school systems for tribal minorities and the disabled, and the launching of values education program

• in 1990, President Aquino formed the congressional commission on education (EDCOM) which was tasked to review the state of Philippine educational system and manpower training of the country. the EDCOM survey results published an a report entitled “making education work: an agenda for reform” concluded that the quality of Philippine education was declining continuously because:

• the county was not investing enough in our education system

• our education establishment was poorly managed.

1990-PRESENT• in 1991, the education for all (EFA) program was

launched. the program was aimed at reducing illiteracy rate by five percent by year 2000.

• character education/good manners and right conduct was added as a learning area in grade school.

• in 1993 the first national elementary achievement test (NEAT) was conducted in line with the education department’s thrust to improve the quality of elementary education and to provide a basis for measuring such improvement.

• the national college entrance exam (NCEE) was abolished following the implementation of the national secondary assessment test (NSAT). the NSAT contained aptitude and achievement components and was made a prerequisite for graduation for high school. although the NSAT was made a requirement for high school graduation, a low score in the test would not prevent a high school graduate from entering college.

• in 1994 president Fidel Ramos signed onto law republic act 7791 lengthening the school calendar from 200 days to 220 days as a measure to enhance the learning effectiveness of students.

• the commission on higher education (CHED) was establish to develop reforms and innovations in higher education.

• in 1995 the technical education and skills development authority (TESDA) was instituted to supervise non-degree technical-vocational programs.

• in 1996 the professional regulation commission (PRC) took over the administration of the professional board examination for teacher (PBET) and changed it to licensure examination for teachers (let).

• from 1996 to 1998 several special programs were launched by DECS to address the immediate concerns of the different levels of education. these projects included:• war on waste(WOW)• school inside a garden (SIGA)• adopt-a-school program• school of the future

• the Ramos administration also instituted several welfare programs now being enjoyed by teachers, these are:• increase in salaries• teachers’ cooperatives• shelter program• hospitalization guaranty fund• provident fund• hazard pay• in-service training programs, and• scholarship programs

• in 1998 president joseph Estrada appointed brother Andrew Gonzales, former president of de la salle university as a secretary of DECS.

• the present DECS leadership has launched the following programs/projects: non-formal education mobile program and the lingua franca education projects.

• the non-formal education (NFE) mobile program is design to make education accessible to rural out-of-school youth (OYS) to hep them become more useful and productive members of the community

• the lingua franca education projects aims to improve the achievement levels of public schools by teaching grade one pupils using their respective regional dialects such as Tagalog, Ilocano and Cebuano instead of English.

• the “balik-pagtuturo” program is aimed to augment the teaching force of the country public schools by reassigning teachers who hold non-teaching position to the classroom

• the DECS also recently implemented the third elementary education program (TEEP), a five-year program designed to improve learning achievement of pupils

• the Estrada administration recently formed a body on educational reforms to conducts a comprehensive study on Philippine education. the presidential commission on educational reforms (PCER) headed by secretary Gonzales is given a year to draw up a package of education reforms that will boost the policy initiatives drawn up by EDCOM in the early 80’s

K-12A recent change in the Philippines’ educational system was implemented starting in 2011. President Aquino signed the K 12 education into law in 2013, adding three years to the country’s basic education curriculum.

The new K 12 curriculum guide requires all Filipino students to have one year of kindergarten, six years of elementary schooling (grades 1 to 6), four years of junior high school (grades 7 to 10), and two years of senior high school (grades 11 to 12).

Prior to the implementation of the K 12 curriculum guide, the Philippines was one of only three countries in the world and the only one in Asia that still had only 10 years in basic education. (Angola and Djibouti are the other two).

This has always been seen as a disadvantage for our students who are competing in an increasingly global job market. The longer educational cycle of the K 12 curriculum is seen as critical in giving Filipino students a higher quality of education.

The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization – Innotech (SEAMEO-Innotech) found the previous 10-year educational cycle to be congested, with a 12-year curriculum squished into 10 years.

As a result, Filipino students have trailed behind students around the world in the areas of math, languages and science. The new curriculum is aimed to fix that.

The K 12 curriculum is designed to enable graduates to join the work force right after high school, and suitably prepare those who want to go on to higher education.

THANK YOU!!!

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