Lesson 2

 THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHING

AS A PROFESSION IN THE PHILIPPINES

Before the Philippines attained complete independence in 1946, the

country's education system was patterned on the systems of Spain and the
United States--countries which colonized and governed the country for more
than three hundred years. However, after independence, the country's
educational system has constantly undergone reforms.

Pre-colonial period

During the pre-colonial period, most children were provided with solely
vocational training, which was supervised by parents, tribal tutors or those
assigned for specific, specialized roles within their communities (for example,
the Babaylan). In most communities, stories, songs, poetry, dances, medicinal
practices and advice regarding all sorts of community life issues were passed
from generation to generation mostly through oral tradition. Some
communities utilized a writing system known as baybayin, whose use was wide
and varied, though there were other syllabaries used throughout the
archipelago.

Spanish period

Formal education was brought to the Philippines by the Spaniards,

which was conducted mostly by religious orders. Upon learning the local
languages and writing systems, they began teaching Christianity, the Spanish
language, and Spanish culture. These religious orders opened the first schools
and universities as early as the 16th century. Spanish missionaries established
schools immediately after reaching the islands. The Augustinians opened a
parochial school in Cebu in 1565. The Franciscans, took to the task of
improving literacy in 1577, aside from the teaching of new industrial and
agricultural techniques. The Jesuits followed in 1581, as well as the
Dominicans in 1587, setting up a school in Bataan. The church and the school
cooperated to ensure that Christian villages had schools for students to
attend.

Schools for boys and for girls were then opened. Colegios were opened
for boys, ostensibly the equivalent to present day senior high schools. The
Universidad de San Ignacio, founded in Manila by the Jesuits in 1589 was the
first colegio. Eventually, it was incorporated into the University of Santo
Tomas, College of Medicine and Pharmacology following the suppression of
the Jesuits. Girls had two types of schools - the beaterio, a school meant to
prepare them for the convent, and another, meant to prepare them for
secular womanhood.

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. It was a Chinese language version of Doctrina
Christiana. Spanish and Tagalog versions, in both Latin script and the locally
used baybayin script, were later printed in 1593. In 1610, Tomas Pinpin, a
Filipino printer, writer and publisher, who is sometimes referred to as the
"Patriarch of Filipino Printing", wrote his famous "Librong Pagaaralan nang
manga Tagalog nang Uicang Castilla", which was meant to help Filipinos learn
the Spanish language. The prologue read:" Let us therefore study, my
countrymen, for although the art of learning is somewhat difficult, yet if we
are persevering, we shall soon improve our knowledge.” Other Tagalogs did
not take a year to learn the Spanish language when using the book. This good
result has given them satisfaction and encouraged them to print the work, so
that all may derive some profit from it.

The Educational Decree of 1863 provided a free public education

system in the Philippines, managed by the government. The decree mandated
the establishment of at least one primary school for boys and one for girls in
each town under the responsibility of the municipal government, and the
establishment of a normal school for male teachers under the supervision of
the Jesuits. Primary education was also declared free and available to every
Filipino, regardless of race or social class. Contrary to what the propaganda
of the Spanish-American War tried to depict, they were not religious schools;
rather, they were schools that were established, supported, and maintained
by the Spanish government.

After the implementation of the decree, the number of schools and

students increased steadily. In 1866, the total population of the Philippines
was 4,411,261. The total number of public schools for boys was 841, and the
number of public schools for girls was 833. The total number of children
attending those schools was 135,098 for boys, and 95,260 for girls. In 1892,
the number of schools had increased to 2,137, of which 1,087 were for boys,
and 1,050 for girls. By 1898, enrollment in schools at all levels exceeded
200,000 students.

Among those who benefited from the free public education system
were a burgeoning group of Filipino intellectuals: the Ilustrados ('enlightened
ones'), some of whom included José Rizal, Graciano López Jaena, Marcelo H.
del Pilar, Mariano Ponce, and Antonio Luna--all of whom played vital roles in
the Propaganda Movement that ultimately inspired the founding of the
Katipunan.

First Republic

The defeat of Spain following the Spanish-American War led to the

short-lived Philippine Independence movement, which established the
insurgent First Philippine Republic. The schools maintained by Spain for more
than three centuries were closed briefly, but were reopened on August 29,
1898 by the Secretary of Interior. The Burgos Institute (the country's first law
school), the Academia Militar (the country's first military academy), and the
Literary University of the Philippines were established. 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.
However, the Philippine-American War hindered its progress.

American period

About a year after having secured Manila, the Americans were keen to
open up seven schools with army servicemen teaching with army command-
selected books and supplies. In the same year, 1899, more schools were
opened, this time, with 24 English-language teachers and 4500 students.

A highly centralized, experimental public school system was installed

in 1901 by the Philippine Commission and legislated by Act No. 74. The law
exposed a severe shortage of qualified teachers, brought about by large
enrollment numbers in schools. As a result, the Philippine Commission
authorized the Secretary of Public Instruction to bring more than 1,000
teachers from the United States, who were called the Thomasites, to the
Philippines between 1901 and 1902. These teachers were scattered
throughout the islands to establish barangay schools. The same law
established the Philippine Normal School (now the Philippine Normal
University) to train aspiring Filipino teachers.

The high school system was supported by provincial governments and

included special educational institutions, schools of arts and trades, an
agricultural school, and commerce and marine institutes, which were
established in 1902 by the Philippine Commission.

Several other laws were passed throughout the period. In 1902, Act No.
372 authorized the opening of provincial high schools.

1908 marked the year when Act No. 1870 initiated the opening of the
University of the Philippines, now the country's national university.

The emergence of high school education in the Philippines, however,

did not occur until 1910. It was borne out of rising numbers in enrollment,
widespread economic depression, and a growing demand by big businesses
and technological advances in factories and the emergence of electrification
for skilled workers. In order to meet this new job demand, high schools were
created and the curriculum focused on practical job skills that would better
prepare students for professional white collar or skilled blue collar work. This
proved to be beneficial for both the employer and the employee; the
investment in human capital caused employees to become more efficient,
which lowered costs for the employer, and skilled employees received a
higher wage than those employees with just primary educational attainment.

However, a steady increase in enrollment in schools appeared to have

hindered any revisions to then-implemented experimental educational
system. Act No. 1381, also known as Gabaldon Law, was passed in 1907, which
provided a fund of a million pesos for construction of concrete school
buildings and is one of many attempts by the government to meet this
demand. In line as well with the Filipinization policy of the government, the
Reorganization Act of 1916 provided that all department secretaries except
the Secretary of Public Instruction must be a natural-born Filipino.

A series of revisions (in terms of content, length, and focus) to the

curriculum began in 1924, the year the Monroe Survey Commission released
its findings. After having convened in the period from 1906 to 1918, what was
simply an advisory committee on textbooks was officiated in 1921 as the
Board on Textbooks through Act No. 2957. The Board was faced with
difficulties, however, even up to the 1940s, because financial problems
hindered the possibility of newer adaptations of books.

Third Republic

In 1947, after the United States relinquished all its authority over the
Philippines, President Manuel Roxas issued Executive Order No. 94 which
renamed Department of Instruction into Department of Education. During this
period, the regulation and supervision of public and private schools belonged
to the Bureau of Public and Private Schools.

Fourth Republic

In 1972, the Department of Education became the Department of

Education and Culture (DECS) under Proclamation 1081, which was signed by
President Ferdinand Marcos.

On September 24, 1972, by Presidential Decree No. 1, DECS was

decentralized with decision-making shared among its thirteen regional
offices.

Following a referendum of all barangays in the Philippines from

January 10-15, 1973, President Marcos ratified the 1973 Constitution by
Proclamation 1102 on January 17, 1973. The 1973 Constitution set out the
three fundamental aims of education in the Philippines: to foster love of
country; to teach the duties of citizenship; and to develop moral character,
self-discipline, and scientific, technological and vocational efficiency.

In 1978, by the Presidential Decree No. 1397, DECS became the Ministry
of Education and Culture. The Education Act of 1982 provided for an
Integrated System of Education covering both Formal and Non-formal
Education at all levels. Section 29 of the act sought to upgrade educational
institutions' standards to achieve "quality education" through voluntary
accreditation for schools, colleges, and universities. Section 16 and Section
17 upgraded the obligations and qualifications required for teachers and
administrators. Section 41 provided for government financial assistance to
private schools. This act also created the Ministry of Education, Culture and
Sports.
Fifth Republic

A new constitution was ratified on February 2, 1987, and entered into

force of February 11. Section 3, Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution contains
the ten fundamental aims of education in the Philippines. Section 2(2), Article
XIV of the 1987 Constitution made elementary school compulsory for all
children.

In 1987, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports became again

the DECS under Executive Order No. 117. The structure of DECS as embodied
in the order remained practically unchanged until 1994.

On May 26, 1988, the Congress of the Philippines enacted the Republic
Act 6655 or the Free Public Secondary Education Act of 1988, which mandated
free public secondary education commencing in the school year 1988-1989.

On February 3, 1992, the Congress enacted Republic Act 7323,

Otherwise Known as the Special Program for Employment of Students

which provided that students aged 15 to 25 may be employed during their

Christmas vacation and summer vacation with a salary not lower than the
minimum wage--with 60% of the wage paid by the employer and 40% by the
government.

The Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM) report of 1991

recommended the division of DECS into three parts. On May 18, 1994, the
Congress passed Republic Act 7722 or the Higher Education Act of 1994,
creating the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), which assumed the
functions of the Bureau of Higher Education and supervised tertiary degree
programs. On August 25, 1994, the Congress passed Republic Act 7796 or the
Technical Education and Skills Development Act of 1994, creating the
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), which
absorbed the Bureau of Technical-Vocational Education as well as the
National Manpower and Youth Council, and began to supervise non-degree
technical-vocational programs. DECS retained responsibility for all
elementary and secondary education. This threefold division became known
as the "trifocal system of education" in the Philippines.

In August 2001, Republic Act 9155, otherwise called the Governance of

Basic Education Act, was passed. This act changed the name of DECS to the
current Department of Education (DepEd) and redefined the role of field
offices (regional offices, division offices, district offices and schools). The act
provided the overall framework for school empowerment by strengthening
the leadership roles of headmasters and fostering transparency and local
accountability for school administrations. The goal of basic education was to
provide the school age population and young adults with skills, knowledge,
and values to become caring, self-reliant, productive, and patriotic citizens.
In 2005, the Philippines spent about US$138 per pupil, compared to US$3,728
in Japan, US$1,582 in Singapore and US$852 in Thailand.
 In 2006, the Education for All (EFA) 2015 National Action Plan was
implemented. It states: "The central goal is to provide basic competencies to
everyone, and to achieve functional literacy for all. Ensuring that every
Filipino has the basic competencies is equivalent to providing all Filipinos with
the basic learning needs, or enabling all Filipinos to be functionally literate.”

In terms of secondary level education, all children aged twelve to

fifteen, are sought to be on track to completing the schooling cycle with
satisfactory achievement levels at every year.

In January 2009, the Department of Education signed a memorandum

of agreement with the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) to seal $86 million assistance to Philippine education, particularly the
access to quality education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(ARMM), and the Western and Central Mindanao regions.

Recent years

In 2010, then-Senator Benigno Aquino III expressed his desire to

implement the K-12 basic education cycle to increase the number of years of
compulsory education to thirteen years. According to him, this will "give
everyone an equal chance to succeed" and "have quality education and
profitable jobs". After further consultations and studies, the government
under President Aquino formally adopted the K-6-4-2 basic education system-
-one year of kindergarten, six years of elementary education, four years of
junior high school education and two years of senior high school education.
Kindergarten was formally made mandatory and compulsory for entrance to
Grade 1 by virtue of the R.A. 10157 entitled An Act Institutionalizing the
Kindergarten Education into the Basic Education System otherwise known as
Kindergarten Education Act of 2012, while the further twelve years were
officially put into law by the virtue of the R.A. 10533, entitled “An Act
Enhancing the Philippine Basic Education by Strengthening its Curriculum and
Increasing the Number of Years for Basic Education, Appropriating Funds
Therefor and for Other Purposes, otherwise known as the “Enhanced Basic
Education Act of 2013” to guarantee its continuity in the succeeding years.

The former system of basic education in the Philippines consists of one-

year preschool education, six-year elementary education and four-year high
school education. Although public preschool, elementary and high school
education are provided free, only primary education is stipulated as
compulsory according to the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Pre-primary
education caters to children aged five. A child aged six may enter elementary
schools with, or without pre-primary education. Following on from
elementary education is four-years of secondary education, which can
theoretically be further divided into three years of lower secondary and one
year of upper secondary education. Ideally, a child enters secondary
education at the age of 12. After completing their secondary education,
students may progress to a technical education and skills development to earn
a certificate or a diploma within one to three years, depending on the skill.
Students also have the option to enroll in higher education programs to earn
a baccalaureate degree.