HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS OF
PHILIPPINE EDUCATION
DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION
IN THE PHILIPPINES FROM
PRE-SPANISH TO PRESENT TIMES
Timeline
Before 1521 Education before the coming of
Spaniards/ Pre - Hispanic
1521-1896 Education during the Spanish Regime
1896-1899 Education during the Philippine Revolution
1898-1935 Education during the American Occupation
1935-1941 Education during the Philippine
Commonwealth
1941-1944 Education during the Japanese Occupation
Education from Ancient Early Filipinos
(Pre-Hispanic) Before 1521
The economic situation
during the pre-colonial
times was the great
contributor and a major
factor in the system of
education in the
Philippines.
With their practical and subsistent mode of
production they had to provide education that
was plain and simple.
The fathers trained their sons in
how to hunt and other means of
maintaining a livelihood. On the
other hand, the mothers were in
charge of their girls and
instructing on household chores.
The purpose of this type of
education was to prepare both
boys and girls to become good
husbands and wives in the
future.
Education was truly valued by the early
Filipinos. Both Filipino men and women knew
how to read and write using their own
alphabet called Alibata.
They use a unique system of writing known as
the Baybayin.
BAYBAYIN ALIBATA
FORM OF WRITING NATIVE ALPHABET
The medium of instruction used was Alibata, the
native alphabet. It was composed of 17 symbols
each representing the letters of the alphabet. The
symbols contained three vowels and the rest were
consonants.
Educators or the teachers during the Pre-colonial Era
Gifted with wisdom
Babaylan and Katalonan and knowledge on
spirituality and the
system of running
their own society,
they were
respected by the
people of the
society
Education that was taught:
Beliefs and Traditions
Some vocational and Practical arts
Reading, Writing and Arithmetic
Educational System During Spanish Period
1521-1896
The educational system of the Philippines
during the Spanish times was formal.
European system of education was
introduced.
First schools were the
parochial schools opened
by the missionaries in their
perishes.
FRIARS
The Spanish missionaries established schools
immediately after reaching the island.
The Augustinians built the first school in the Philippines
situated in Cebu in 1565.
The Franciscans, in 1577, immediately took to the task of
teaching improving literacy, aside from the teaching of
new industrial and agricultural techniques.
The first college school for the boys was the "Colegio de
San Ignacio" which was established by the Jesuits in
Manila in 1589.
The Dominicans also made a name as they established
one of the best universities in the Philippines, the
University of Santo Tomas, that was opened in 1611.
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.
University education was started in the
Philippines during the early part of the 17th
century and originally, it was open only to the
Spaniards and those with Spanish blood.
19th century – public education for the natives.
Educational decree of 1863 – required the
establishment of one primary school for girls
and one for boys in each major town of the
country.
Establishment of the normal school for the
training of teachers – Escuela Normal.
Spanish Language – medium of instruction in
all schools.
The Spanish also
introduced printing presses
to produce books in
Spanish and Tagalog,
sometimes
using baybayin. The first
book printed in the
Philippines dates back to
1590.
Doctrina Christiana
Subjects: Based on the Royal Decree of 1863
Languages (Latin, Spanish grammar and
literature, elementary Greek, French and
English)
History (Universal, Spanish)
Mathematics (Arithmetic, Algebra,
Trigonometry, Geometry)
Philosophy (Rhetoric, Logic, Ethics)
Geography
Psychology
Problems faced during the period
Absence of systematic government supervision
of the schools.
Over emphasis on religion.
Limited and Irrelevant Curriculum
Lack of trained teachers
(150 teacher-missionaries to instruct over half
a million inhabitants)
Obsolete Teaching Methods.
Problems faced during the period
Poor classroom facilities
Inadequate instructional materials.
Racial discrimination against Filipino
students.
Absence of academic freedom.
Philippine revolution
They were the middle class who were educated in
the Spanish and exposed to Spanish liberal and
Europeans nationalist ideals.
Composed of native – born
intellectuals and cut across
ethnolinguistic and racial lines
– Indios, Insulares and
Mestizos.
ILUSTRADOS
Curricular reforms
1. Secularization of education.
2. Instruction of Spanish.
3. Greater attention to natural science.
4. The design of a relevant curriculum.
5. Improvement of higher center of learning.
6. Improvement of educational system.
Jose Rizal – criticized unequivocally
the friars’ method of instruction in his
two novels Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo.
1. Disproportionate focus on religion.
2. Discourage the attempt of Filipino
students to speak in Spanish.
3. Lack of pedagogical skills.
4. Irrelevant courses in the curriculum.
Curriculum
To improve the existing curriculum, Rizal
considered the ff. Subjects as required courses in
secondary schools.
1. Science 6. Language
2. Math 7. P.E
3. History 8. Religion
4. Philosophy 9. Music
5. Law 10. Social Sciences
Malolos Republic
Article 23 of the Malolos Constitution
mandated that public education would be free
and obligatory in all schools of the nation
under the First Philippine Republic.
August 29, 1898 – schools were re-opened by
the Secretary of the Interior.
Malolos Republic
3. The Literary
University of
the Philippines
2. Academia (October
Militar (the 1893)
country's first
Military
1. Burgos academy
Institute (the
country‘s first
law school),
Educational System During American Period
The Americans used education as a vehicle for
its program benevolent assimilation.
Restore damaged school houses, build new
ones and conduct classes.
The spread of democracy and formation of
good citizens including the rights and
responsibilities of the people were the focus of
American education in the country.
January 21, 1901, the Commission enacted Act
No. 74 establishing the Department of Public
Instruction.
Act no. 74 – established the Philippine Public
School System.
Volunteer Filipino soldiers became the first
teachers of the Filipinos. Part of their mission
was to build classrooms in every place where
they were assigned.
June 1901 - The first batch of 48 American
teachers arrived in the country.
August 1900 –
600 teachers called
"Thomasites" arrived.
Their name came
from the ship they
traveled on, the
S.S. Thomas.
Americans discarded the religious bias.
Educational Act of 1901- Separation of
Church and State in education.
Encourage Filipino in the field of teaching.
Outstanding Filipino scholars were sent to US
to train as teachers (Pensionados).
Pesionado Act – Act No. 854 of the Philippine
Commission
"Scholars"
Judge Jose Abad Santos
Francisco Benitez
Dr. Honoria Sison
Francisco Delgado.
Three (3) levels of education
1. Elementary - consisted of four primary years
and 3 intermediate years.
2. Secondary or high school - consisted of four
years
3. College or tertiary level.
* Normal, Vocational, Agricultural, and Business
schools
Colleges during the American period
Philippine Normal School in 1901
The Philippine Nautical School
National University (1901)
Philippine School of Arts and
University of Manila (1914) Trades
Philippine Women University
Central Luzon Agriculture
(1919)
School
Far Eastern University (1933)
University of the Philippines
(1908)
Curriculum
Primary Education Intermediate Curriculum
GMRC Grammar and
Civics
composition
Reading, spelling
Hygiene and
Sanitation Science courses
Geography Physiology
Hygiene and sanitation
Intensive teaching of
Geography
Philippine Commonwealth
The Philippine Commonwealth was
the name of the Philippines when it
was still controlled by the United
states.
Manuel L. Quezon was the first
Filipino head an elected government
in the Philippines.
Philippine Commonwealth
All schools should develop moral
character, personal discipline, civic
conscience and vocational efficiency.
Promote effective participation of
the citizens in the processes of a
democratic society.
Methods used: Memorization,
Recitation, and Socialize recitation.
Commonwealth Act 586
TO BE CONTINUED…
