A BRIEF LEGAL HISTORY OF PHILIPPINE EDUCATION

Kenneth B. Lantano
DOE Student
Before the time Philippines suffered subjugation under the powers of different sovereigns and during the time
when societies were not governed by laws yet but by men still, children were provided practical and vocational
training by their parents, relatives, tribal tutors and leaders. There were no schools or academic activities.
Everything was basically and purely see- and- do, try- and - fail (Goh, 2007)
Probably, the closest thing to theoretical learning that time was the passing through oral traditions and
ceremonies of stories, songs, poetry, and dances.
These pieces of information were passed from one generation to another. This system of education was not
restrained by any statute or code but fueled by instinct and curiosity.
Early Filipino ancestors valued education very much. Filipino men and women know how to read and write using
their own native alphabet called alibata/ alifbata.
PRE- HISPANIC TIMES FACTS
early Filipinos lived in Barangay (Balangay)
independent economically, socially, and politically
it has its own territory for planting, hunting, ang fishing
it is made up of cluster of families
it is small, it does not have standing army, police force and judiciary
Functions of Barangay
to maintain its existence as a community by resisting outside enemies
to preserve peace and order within its own territory through mediation
Distinct Characteristics of Barangay
1. Both the society and families were considered hierarchy
Datu- Chief Timawa- Freemen
Maharlika- Noble Alipin- Slave
2. The lesson of bloody conflicts taught the early Filipinos to prefer friendly arbitration as a means of settling
differences.
3. Family, not the individual, was the subject of the law- striking feature
SPANISH PERIOD (1863- 1901)FACTS
During the Spanish Colonial Period of the Philippines, the culture of the archipelago experienced a major
transformation from a variety of native Asian and Islamic culture and traditions, including animist religious practices
to a unique hybrid of Southeast Asian and Western culture, particularly Spanish, including the Spanish language and
the Catholic faith.

Education was religion- oriented- with the aim of converting indigenous populations to the Catholic faith.
Education was for the elite, especially in the early years of Spanish colonization. Tribal tutors were replaced by
Spanish Missionaries.
 more parochial schools were later established
 Educational Decree 1863
 establishment of a public school system
 founding of a normal school on December 20, 1863
Essential groundwork for the implementation of the colonial policy (dissemination of instruction in the Catholic
faith, in the mother tongue, with competent and capable teachers for the purpose). The full blooded Filipinos or
Indios were deprived of acquiring higher education.
4 Groups of Missionaries in the Philippines
1. Augustinians- opened a school immediately upon arriving in Cebu in 1565
2. Franciscans in 1577, they too, immediately taught the people how to read and write, besides imparting to them
important industrial and agricultural techniques.
3. Jesuits 1581- also concentrated on teaching the young.
4. Dominicans 1587- they did the same thing in their mission in Bataan
THE ROYAL AND PONTIFICAL
UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS
The Catholic University of the Philippines
Miguel De Benavides, O.P.
(3rd Archbishop of Manila)- 28 April 1611
- founded a colegio for the training of future priests
Authorized to confer academic in THEOLOGY, PHILOSOPHY and THE ARTS
 in 1924, the university broke the centuries old- tradition of accepting only male students
 it opened its doors to women in the College of Pharmacy in 1924
 Education in 1926
 Philosophy and Letters in 1927

Pope Innocent X - 20 November 1645

- elevate the college to the rank of university
- patterned after the University of Salamanca in Spain and the University of Mexico

King Charles III- 1785

- granted it the title of “ROYAL UNIVERSITY”
- because of the exceptional loyalty shown by the students and faculty in defending Manila against the British
invaders

Pope Leo XIII- 17 September 1902

- made it a “Pontifical University”
- with the continuing increase of enrollment, the university moved from Intramuros to its present site (1927)

Pope Pius XII- bestowed the title (1947)

“ THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES”

Royal Decree of 20 December 1863

 JUNTA del GOBIERNO
 JUNTA ADMINISTRADOR del MATERIAL del ESCUELAS
- the agencies responsible for the regulation of private schools

Queen Isabel II of Spain-1865

- issued a royal decree creating a system of secondary education in the Philippines
- with a 5- year humanistic course of studies leading to the decree of Bachelor of Arts

SUPERIOR CIVIL GOVERNMENT DECREE -30 November 1871

- provided for the education of female teachers in the Municipal School of Manila

ROYAL DECREE by the Spanish Government - 1871

- created a normal school for female teachers of primary instruction in NUEVA CACERES under the Sisters of Charity

SUPERIOR GOVERNOR OF THE ISLANDS

- supervisor of the schools
MANILA
- Superior Commission of Primary Instruction
MUNICIPALITIES
- Alcalde Mayor (Supervision)
- Prelate of the Diocese
- Local Prelate as ex- officio inspector

THE AMERICAN PERIOD (1901- 1935)

01 May 1898 -Battle of Manila Bay
13 August 1898 -Americans formally occupied the city
-within 3 weeks- seven schools in the City of Manila were occupied
1891- 1901- about 1000 schools were opened in the islands
- with an enrollment of about 6, 900
-that paved the way for Emilio Aguinaldo's Republic under the Revolurionary Government.
-the schools maintained by Spain for more than 3 centuries were closed for the time being, but were reopened on
August 29, 1898 by the Secretary of Interior.
The Legal Bases of Education in the Philippines (Philippine Republic)
Proclamation of Aguinaldo (1898)
Malolos Constitution (1898)
Supervision and control of public education by the Bureau of Public Instruction under the Department of Instruction
headed by a secretary
Title No. IX, Article 73
- all public schools were under the control and supervision of the government
-a system of free and compulsory elementary education was established by the Malolos Constitution.

Biac Na Bato Constitution (1992)

-Article 23 - private individuals were given the right to establish schools provided they complied with the rules and
regulations issued by the state an adequate secularized and free public school system during the first decade of
-American rule was established upon recommendation of the Schurman Commission.
-Free primary instruction that trained the people for the duties of citizenship and avocation was enforced by the Taft
Commision per instructions of President McKinley.
-Chaplains and non- commissioned officers were assigned to teach using English as the medium of instruction

FATHER W.D. McKINNON- an army Chaplain

- supervised schools in Manila at the beginning
-an English teacher was assigned to each of these schools
Lieutenant GEORGE P. ANDERSON - 01 June 1899
- detailed as superintendent of CITY schools
Captain ALBERT TODD
- Superintendent of schools for the WHOLE ARCHIPELAGO - 05 May 1900
- his responsibilities were turned over to DR. FRED W. ATKINSON
-Every child from age 7 was required to register in schools located in their own town or province.
the students were given free school materials

SECOND PHILIPPINE COMMISSION - Taft Commission of 1901

- instructed to promote and extend the educational system already inaugurated by the military authorities
-A highly centralized public school system was installed in 1901 by the Philippine Commission, by virtue of Act
No. 7.
-The implementation of this Act created a heavy shortage of teachers, so the Philippine Commission authorized
the Secretary of Public Instruction to bring to the Philippines 600 teachers from the USA.

U.S. Army transport <<<THOMAS>>>

- a converted cattle cruiser
- sailed from San Francisco on 23 July 1901
- arrived in Manila Bay on 21 August 1901

American Teachers (THOMASITES)

- hired by the US Civil Service Commission
- armed only with books, pencils, papers aand slates
- with high ideals and genuine desire to help
- ENGLISH as the medium of instruction
- helped spread democracy in the Philippines

Philippine Normal School

- establised in Manila on 10 September 1901, intended to train teachers
<<<1917>>>
- two regional normal schools were put up
1. Cebu
2. Ilocos Norte
Other normal schools
-Bayambang National High School
- Leyte Normal School
- Albay Normal School
The aim of which is to train enough teachers for all the regions

Public Act No. 477- amended Public Act No. 74

- created a new office <<Bureau of Education>> under the Department of Public Instruction
- Function: to supervise and administer the PUBLIC school system in the country
- HEAD: General Superintendent of Schools
-the number of school divisions was increased to thirty- six (36) each under a division superintendent

June 18, 1908 - the Philippine Legislature enacted Act No. 1870 establishing the University of the Philippines. The
purpose of said university is to provide advanced instructions in literature, philosophy, the sciences, and arts.

Monroe Survey (1925) - a significant event in the life of Philippine Education conducted a comprehensive survey of
the Philippine Educational System
- the findings and recommendations made the bases for educational policy and planning by the Department of Public
Instruction

Teacher Training Institutions (TEI)

- took the necessary measures to provide courses in general education
- would give prospective teachers knowledge of the major human activities to help them understand
- the political, social and economic conditions of their environment
- the structure of their changing society
- the basic elements of the culture of that society

E.O. No. 94 October 1947 (Reorganization Act of 1947)

- the DPI was renamed Department of Education
- the term “education” more conveniently described the nature of funtions of the department than the
word “instruction”
-the department became one of the executive departments of the Republic of the Philippines with its executive
officer designated as Secretary of Education

Revised Administrative Code of the Philippines, Section 82

- the Department of Education has supervision over the ff:
1. Bureau of Public Schools 3. Bureau of Public Libraries
2. Bureau of Private Schools 4. Institue of National Language
5. Philippine Museum

JAPANESE OCCUPATION (1941- 1945)

-During the entire Japanese occupation, the Japanese government tried to comprehensively and rapidly transform
Philippine society. Oriented politically, culturally and ideologically towards the establishment of the EAST ASIA CO-
PROSPERITY SPHERE
-Under the Japanese regime, the teaching of Tagalog , Philippine Hostory, and Character Education was reserved for
Filipinos.
-Love for work and dignity of labor was emphasized.
In 1947, by virtue of E.O. No. 94,the DoI was changed to Department of Education.
-02 June 1942
- schools were reopened
- Japanese military administration conducted re-orientation and retraining of Filipino pre- war teachers
- this constituted in the process of brainwashing

Normal Institute
- first regular session on 01 September 1942
- lasted for 15 weeks (until 11 December 1942)
-conceived primarily to introduce and disseminate the Japanese language and culture

-Under the Japanese military administration, only the state colleges of education and normal schools were allowed
to reopen and train teachers for elementary schools
however, they did not open until toward the end of the Japanese occupation
POST- LIBERATION PERIOD (1945- 1970)
With the approval of the Bureau of Private School, private universities and colleges of education offered:
- a two- year normal curriculum leading to the elementary leaders' certificate
- three- year combined general and home economics curriculum
-1948
- there were 107private normal courses and 54 courses for prospective elementary and high school teachers
Normal schools under the Bureau of Public Schools:
- Albay Normal School -Leyte Normal School
- Cebu Normal School - Philippine Normal School
- Ilocos Norte Normal School - Zamboanga Normal School
- Iloilo Normal School

Republic Act No. 416 (18 June 1949)

- converted the Philippine Normal School into the Philippine Normal College
- authorizing it to grant the Bachelor of Science in Education (BSE) degree with special concentration in
elementary instruction
- helped raise the status of elementary school teachers
- created a unifying force for the teaching profession

THREE IMPORTANT LEGISLATIONS PASSED

- Republic Act No. 1124 (16 June 1954)
- created the Board of National Education
- Republic Act No. 4372 (19 June 1965)
- ammended Act No. 1124

- Republic Act No. 3742 (22 June 1963)

- elevated the Division of Vocational Education of the Bureau of Public Schools into a separate bureau directly
under the Department of Education

Republic Act No. 1881 (22 June 1957)

- Spanish Law
- required 24 units of Spanish for graduation from college courses
<<S.Y. 1968- 1969>>
- reduced the 24 unit requirement for graduation to only 12 units
- another law was subsequently passed making Spanish an Optional subject

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING POST- LIBERATION PERIOD

1972 - Department of Education and Culture by virtue of Proclamation 1081, and the Ministry of Education and
Culture in 1978 by virtue of P.D. No. 1397.
-Thirteen regional offices were created and major organizational changes were implemented in the educational
system.
-The Education Act of 1982 created Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports that later became the Department of
Education, Culture and Sports in 1987, by virtue of E.O. No. 117.
-The structure of DECS, as embodied in EO No. 117, has practically remained unchanged until 1994, when the
Commissionon Higher Education (CHED), and 1995, when the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
(TESDA), were established to supervise tertiary degree programs and non- degree technical- vocational programs,
respectively.
-The Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM) report provided the impetus for Congress to pass RA 7722
and RA 7796 in 1994, creating the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority (TESDA) respectively.
-The TRIFOCAL educational system refocused DECS's mandate to basic education, which covers elementary,
secondary, and non- formal education, including culture and sports. TESDA now administers the post- secondary,
middle level manpower training and development, while CHED is responsible for higher education.
-In August 2001, RA 9155, otherwise called the Governance of Basic Education Act, was passed, transforming the
name of DECS to DepEd and redefining the role of field offices (regional offices, division offices, district offices and
schools)
R.A. No. 10533 “ENHANCED BASIC EDUCATION ACT OF 2013”
A major improvement in the system of education in the Philippines emerged at the start of the 21st century. The
implementation of the K to 12 education system was implemented in 2011 by the Department of Education.

Attached with this is a new curriculum for elementary and high schools all throughout the Philippine archipelago. the
implementation of this system in 2011 is a phased one. This means that it stagers into the completeness until 2016.

RA 10533 aims at enhancing the Philippine basic education system by strengthening its curriculum and increasing the
number of years for basic education. This law also sets the niche for fund appropriation for the K to 12 system.

There are four “phases” during the implementation of the new system. these are:
Phase I: Laying the Foundations. Its goals to finally implement the universal kindergarten, and the “development of
the (entire) program”.
Phase II: Modeling and Migration. Its goal is to promote the enactment of the basic education law, to finally start of
the phased implementation ofhe new curriculum for Grades 1 to 4 and 7 to 10, and for the modeling of the senior
high school.
Phase III: Complete Migration. Its goal is to finally implement the Grades 11 and 12 or the senior high school, and to
signal the end of migration to the new educational system.
Phase IV: Completion of the Reform. Its goal is to complete the implementation of the K to 12 education system
(DepEd, 2011). The K to 12 Program covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six years of primary
education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior High School (SHS) to provide sufficient time for
mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle- level
skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship. Every Filipino child now has access to every childhood
education through Universal Kindergarten. At 5 years old, children start schooling and are given the means to slowly
adjust to formal education.

Core Curriculum
7 Learning Areas
- Languages, Literature, Communication, Mathematics, Philosophy, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.
Current content from are embedded in the SHS curriculum.
Tracks
- Academic; Tehnical- Vocational- Livelihood; and Sports and Arts. The Academic track includes three
strands: Business, Accountancy, Management (ABM) ; Humanities, Education, Social Science (HESS/ HUMMS); amd
Science, Teachnology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM)
-Students undergo immersion, which may include earn- while- you- learn opportunities, to provide them relevant
exposure and actual experience in their chosen track.
-TVET (Technocal Vocational Education & Training) National Certificate
- after finishing Grade 10, a student can obtain Certificates of Competency (COC) or a National Certificate Level I
(NC I). After finishing a Technical- Vocational- Livelihood track in Grade 12, a students may obtain a National
Certificate Level II (NC II), provided he/ she passes the competency- based assessment of the Technical Education
and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)

ELEMENTARY
- Kindergarten Curriculum Framework (KCF) draws from the goals of the K to 12 Philippine Basic Education
Curriculum Framework and adopts the general principles of the National Early Learning Framework (NELF).

Kindergarten learners need to have a smooth transition to the content- based curriculum of Grades 1 to 12.
Grades 1- 10
- students in Grade 1 to 10 will experience an enhanced, context- based, and spiral progression learning
curriculum with the following subjects:
Subjects
- Mother Tongue - Music - Araling Panlipunan
- Filipino - Arts - Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao (EsP)
- English - Physical Education - TLE
- Mathematics - Health - Edukacyong Pantahanan at
- Science Pangkabuhayan (EPP)