History of Philippine Education

1. 1. Table of Contents  Pre-colonial period  Spanish period  First Republic  American period 
Third Republic  Fourth Republic  Fifth Republic  2000s  2010s and the K-12 program

2. 2. Pre-colonial period  During the pre-colonial period, education was decentralized. Children
were provided with vocational training but little in the way of traditional academics. Philippine
schools were headed by parents or by their tribal tutors. Stories, songs, poetry and dances were
passed from generation to generation through oral tradition. They employed a unique writing
system known as Baybayin.

3. 3. Spanish period  When the Spanish first arrived in Manila, they were surprised to find a
population with a literacy rate higher than that of Madrid.  During the early Spanish period,
most education was conducted by religious orders. Friars, recognizing the value of the literate
indigenous population, built printing presses to produce material in baybayin. Missionaries
studied the local languages and the baybayin writing system to better communicate with the
local populations and teach Christianity.  The church and the school cooperated to ensure that
Christian villages had schools for students to attend.  Spanish missionaries established schools
immediately after reaching the islands. The Augustinians opened a school in Cebu in 1565. The
Franciscans, immediately 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, and they started a school in their first mission at Bataan.  In 1590, the
Universidad de San Ignacio was founded in Manila by the Jesuits, and was incorporated into the
University of Santo Tomas, College Medicine and Pharmacy following the suppression of the
Jesuits.

4. 4.  The first book printed in the Philippines dates back to 1590. It was a Chinese language
version of Doctorina Christiana. A Spanish andTagalog version, in both Latin script and the locally
used baybayin script, was later printed in 1593.  In 1610, Tomas Pinpin, a Filipino printer,
writer and publisher, who is sometimes referred 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 like us did not take a year to learn the Spanish
language when using my book. This good result has given me satisfaction and encouraged me to
print my work, so that all may derive some profit from it.’’

5. 5.  In 1640, the Universidad de San Felipe de Austria was established in Manila. It was the first
public university in the Philippines. On April 28, 1611, the University of Santo Tomas was
founded in Manila as the Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario.  By the end of the
16th century, several religious orders had established charity hospitals all over the archipelago
and provided the bulk of public services. These hospitals also became the setting for
rudimentary scientific research work on pharmacy and medicine.  The Jesuits also founded the
Colegio de San Jose in 1601 and took over the management in what later became Escuela
 Municipal in 1859. Escuela Municipal was later renamed to AteneoMunicipal de Manila in 1865,
and is known today as Ateneo de Manila University). The Dominicans founded the Colegio de
San Juan de Letran in 1620 in Manila.

6. 6.  The Educational Decree of 1863 created a free public education system in the Philippines
that was run by the government. It was the first such education system in Asia. 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, as well as the establishment of a
normal school for male teachers under the supervision of the Jesuits. Primary education was
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, but
schools that were established, supported, and maintained by the Spanish Government.[9]

7. 7.  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.  Because of the
implementation of public education, a new social class of educated Filipinos arose, the
Ilustrados ('enlightened ones'). This new, well-educated middle class of Filipinos would later lead
the Philippine independence movement, using Spanish as their common language. Among the
Ilustrados who had also studied in Spain were Jose Rizal,Garciano Lopez, Marcelo H. Del Pilar ,
Mariano Ponce, and Antonio Luna, who were later to lead the cause of Filipino self-government
and independence.

8. 8. First Republic  The defeat of Spain following the Spanish-American War led to the short-lived
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 theMalolos 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.

9. 9. American period  An improved public school system was established during the first decade
of American rule upon the recommendation of the Schurman Commission. Free primary
instruction that trained people for the duties of citizenship and avocation was enforced by the
Taft Commission per instructions of President William McKinley. Chaplains and non-
commissioned officers were assigned to teach using English as the medium of instruction.

10. 10.  A highly centralized public school system was installed in 1901 by the Philippine
Commission and legislated by Act No. 74. Act No. 74 exposed a severe shortage of qualified
teachers. 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 to 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.

11. 11.  The high school system was supported by provincial governments and included special
educational institutions, school of arts and trades, an agricultural school, and commerce and
marine institutes, which were established in 1902 by the Philippine Commission.  In 1908, the
Philippine Legislature approved Act No. 1870, which created the University of the Philippines.
The Reorganization Act of 1916 provided the Filipinization of all department secretaries except
the Secretary of Public Instruction.

12. 12.  The emergence of high school education in the Philippines, however, did not happen until
1910. It was borne out of the rise in big businesses and technological advances in factories and
the emergence of electrification, which required 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 employees with just primary educational attainment. 
Two decades later, enrollment in elementary schools was about one million (up from about
150,000 in 1901), and about 100,000 in high school (up from less than 20,000 in 1901).

13. 13. Third Republic  In 1947, under Executive Order No. 94, the Department of Instruction was
changed to the Department of Education. During this period, the regulation and supervision of
public and private schools belonged to the Bureau of Public and Private Schools.

14. 14. Fourth Republic  In 1972, the Department of Education became the Department of
Education and Culture under Proclamation 1081, which was signed by President Ferdinand
Marcos.  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;  Teach the duties of citizenship; and  Develop moral character, self-
discipline, and scientific, technological and vocational efficiency.  On September 24, 1972, by
Presidential Decree No. 1, the Department of Education, Culture and Sports was decentralized
with decision-making shared among thirteen regional offices.  In 1978, by the Presidential
Decree No. 1397, the Department of Education and Culture 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 education 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.[16] This act also created the Ministry of
Education, Culture and Sports.

15. 15. Fifth Republic  On February 2, 1987, a new Constitution for the Philippines was ratified.
Section 3, Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution contains the ten fundamental aims of education in
the Philippines. It is also seen that under the 1987 Constitution (under Section 2 (2), Article XIV),
 only elementary school was made compulsory.  In 1987, the Ministry of Education, Culture and
Sports became the Department of Education, Culture and Sports 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 and 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, which provided that students aged 15 to 25 may be employed during
Christmas 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, 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, 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.[22] DECS retained
responsibility for all elementary and secondary education.[18] This threefold division became
known as the "trifocal system of education in the Philippines".

16. 16. 2000s  In August 2001, Republic Act 9155, otherwise called the Governance of Basic
Education Act, was passed. This act changed the name of the Department of Education, Culture
and Sports (DECS) to the Department of Education 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 January 2009, the Department of Education signed a
memorandum of agreement with the United States Agency for International Development to
seal $86 million assistance to Philippine education, particularly the access to quality education in
the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), and theWestern and Central Mindanao
regions.

17. 17. 2010s and the K-12 program  The start of the twenty-first century's second decade saw a
major improvement in the Philippine education system.  In 2011, the Department of Education
started to implement the new K-12 educational system, which also included a new curriculum
for all schools nationwide. The K-12 program has a so-called "phased implementation", which
started in S.Y 2011-2012.  There are four "phases" during the implementation of the new
system. These are:  Phase I: Laying the Foundations. Its goal is 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 of the 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- 12 education system.