Historical Development of Teaching as a Profession in the Philippines

Pre-Hispanic Era

● The first teachers were the Parents and the Tribal Tutors/Leaders.

● Other teachers were the babaylans and an old man or the Tribal Tutor/Leader.

● No formal preparations for teachers.

● Education was informal, unstructured, and devoid of methods.

● Children were provided more vocational training and less academics (3 Rs) by their parents and
in the houses of tribal tutors.
● 3 Rs mean: Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic

● Students or the children were taught by their gender

o Sons were taught by their fathers to become warriors, hunters, fishermen, miners,
lumbermen, and shipbuilders.
o Daughters were taught by their mothers in cooking, gardening, serving and other
household arts.
● “Bothoan” or “Buthoon”, is the ancient school of the Filipino to learn the Kali skills.

● Subjects were focused on reading, writing, arithmetic, use of weapons, and lubus (herbalist)
(acquiring kinaadman or amulets).
● Kinaadman is a Cebuano word for knowledge or wisdom.

● Hence, education during that time was geared toward their needs.

● 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.
● Ancient Filipinos were able to read and write…

● The Laguna Copperplate and the baybayin are some of the evidence
o Laguna Copperplate Inscription the acquittal of the person of a high office, together
with the family, relatives, and descendants
● Alibata is incorrect and erroneously used to describe our ancient writing system

● Derived by Paul Rodríguez Verzosa (member of Institute of National Language) in 1914, after the
first three letters of the Arabic script (ʾalif, bāʾ, tāʾ)
●

Hispanic Era
● The first Teachers in this era are the following:
○ Augustinians opened a school immediately upon arriving in Cebu in 1565
○ Franciscans in 1577 taught how to read and write, industrial and agricultural techniques
○ Jesuits 1581 concentrated on teaching the young
○ Dominicans 1587 did the same in Bataan
● Father Pedro Chirino and Francisco Martín established a school for Visayan boys in Panay in
1593. Taught not only the catechism but reading, writing, Spanish, and liturgical music.
● This is when the transition of writing in baybayin began to change into the Latin alphabet was
recorded by Father Chirino
● In 1610, Tomas Pinpin published the Librong Pagaaralan nang manga Tagalog nang Uicang
Castilla, which was meant to help Filipinos learn the Spanish language
● Schools During this era:
○ In 1590, the Universidad de San Ignacio was founded in Manila by the Jesuits
○ On April 28, 1611, the Universidad de Santo Tomás was founded in Manila
○ In 1640, the Universidad de San Felipe de Austria was established in Manila. It was the
first public university created by the Spanish government in the Philippines. It closed
down in 1643.
○ In 1601, Jesuits founded the Colegio de San José (1601), became Escuela Municipal in
1859, became Ateneo Municipal de Manila in 1865, now is Ateneo de Manila University
○ Colegio de San Jose is now known as San Jose Seminary
○ The Dominicans on their part had the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán (1620) in Manila.
○ In 1611, the Dominicans founded the UST (Colegio de Nuestra Señora de Santisimo
Rosario)
● In December 20, 1863, the Education Decree of 1863 by Queen Isabella II, free access to
modern public education was made possible and teaching of Spanish was compulsory.
● It also commended the creation of a free public normal school to train men as teachers,
supervised by the Jesuits.
● One of these schools was the Escuela Normal Elemental, which, in 1896 became the Escuela
Normal Superior de Maestros de Manila (The Normal School) for male teachers.
● The Spanish government also established a school for midwives in 1879, and a Normal School
for female teachers in 1892, the Escuela Normal Superior de Maestras.
● By the 1890s, free public secondary schools were opening outside of Manila, including 10
normal schools for women.
● The decree also provided for a normal school run by the Jesuits to educate male teachers in
Manila. Normal schools for women teachers were not established until 1875, in Nueva Caceres
(now Naga City)
● The range of subjects being taught were very advanced, as can be seen from the Syllabus of
Education in the Municipal Atheneum of Manila, that included Algebra, Agriculture, Arithmetic,
Chemistry, Commerce, English, French, Geography, Geometry, Greek, History, Latin, Mechanics,
Natural History, Painting, philosophy, Physics, Rhetoric and poetry, Spanish Classics, Spanish
Composition, Topography, and Trigonometry. Among the subjects being taught to girls, as
reflected in the curriculum of the Colegio de Santa Isabel, were Arithmetic, Drawing, Dress-
cutting, French, Geology, Geography, Geometry, History of Spain, Music, Needlework, Philippine
History, Physics, Reading, Sacred History and Spanish Grammar.
● Despite the Decree of 1863, basic education in the Philippines remained inadequate for the rest
of the Spanish period. Often, there were not enough schools built. Teachers tended to use
corporal punishment. The friars exercised control over the schools and their teachers and
obstructed attempts to properly educate the masses, as they considered widespread secular
education to be a threat to their hold over the population.
● Contrary to what the Propaganda of the Spanish–American War tried to depict, the Spanish
public system of education was open to all the natives, regardless of race, gender or financial
resources.
● The Decree started the history of the (Superior Commission of Primary Instruction) Department
of Education today
● As a result of increasing the number of educated Filipinos a new social class raised, which came
to be known as the Ilustrados.

● The first book printed in the Philippines is the Doctrina Christiana in 1593 (Chinese version)

● The title literally means "The Teachings of Christianity", and thus the primary goal of the book
was to propagate Christian teaching across the Philippine archipelago.

● The second book is Nuestra Señora del Rosario by Fr. Blancas de San Jose in 1602 at the UST
Printing Press
● which contains the story of different saints, novena and various questions about Christianity
American Era

● The first Teachers in this era are the Thomasites.

● They arrived on August 21, 1901. Some famous Thomasites are:
○ Edwin Copeland, first dean of UP College of Agriculture and founder of the University of
the Philippines at Los Baños.
○ Austin Craig, an American expert on José Rizal
○ Dr. Horace Brinsmade Silliman, founder of Silliman University
○ Frank Russell White, founder of Tarlac Provincial High School (now Tarlac National High
School), the oldest public high school in the Philippines
● On January 20, 1901, Act No. 74 of the Philippine Commission, formalized the creation of the
Department of Public Instruction.
● By virtue, 600 teachers from the U.S.A were brought here and they were called the Thomasites.
● Instruction in English language, and American history, Education was expected to lead to
forming of a national identity and Filipino nationalism.
● 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. There were three levels of education during the
American period. The "elementary" level consisted of four primary years and 3 intermediate
years. The "secondary" or high school level consisted of four years; and the third was the
"college" or tertiary level. Religion was not part of the curriculum of the schools as it had been
during the Spanish period.
● In some cases those students who excelled academically were sent to the U.S. to continue their
studies and to become experts in their desired fields or professions. They were called "scholars"
and "pensionados" because the government covered all their expenses. In return, they were to
teach or work in government offices after they finished their studies. Some examples of these
 successful Filipino scholars were Judge José Abad Santos, Francisco Benitez, Dr. Honoria Acosta-
Sison and Francisco Delgado.
● José Abad Santos y Basco was the fifth chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines.
● Francisco Benitez became honorary correspondent for the Philippines in the International
Bureau if Education in Geneva, President of the National Federation of Teachers in the
Philippines, Chairman of Education Sector First Independence Congress in 1930, advocated the
idea of teaching social studies
● Many elementary and secondary schools from the Spanish era were recycled and new ones
were opened in cities and provinces, among which there were normal, vocational, agricultural,
and business schools.
○ Philippine College of Commerce in 1904 (now Polytechnic University of the Philippines)
○ Philippine Normal School in 1901 (now Philippine Normal University), founded to train
teachers
○ Silliman Institute (1901, now Silliman University)
● As the Pensionado Act started in 1903, the purpose was to "Educate and bind current and future
Filipino leaders to the American colonial administration.
● Education should be universal and free for all
● Education was the means of giving people an orientation towards a democratic way of life
● In 1908, by virtue of Act No. 1870 of the Philippine Assembly, the University of the Philippines
was founded. The UP was to give “advanced instruction in literature, philosophy, the sciences
and arts, and to give professional and technical training” to every qualified student regardless of
“age, sex, nationality, religious belief and political affiliation.”
● English language is the medium of instruction
○ Formal education in this era was composed of: primary, intermediate, secondary and
vocational

● Executive Order No. 134 (1936) – Tagalog is the National Language

● Executive Order No. 124 (1939) – Quezon Code of Ethics aims to develop good moral character,
personal discipline civic conscience and to teach duties of citizenship

● Executive Order No. 263 (1940) – teaching of the Filipino, National Language, in the senior year
of all high schools and in all years in the normal schools

● Education Act of 1940 (CA 586) – reduction of 7 years in elementary course to 6 years, fixing the
school entrance at age of 7

During the Japanese Era

● By virtue, the Department of Public Instruction was changed into Department of Education,
Health and Public Welfare through Japanese Executive Commission, June 11, 1942
● Nihongo was the medium of instruction
● Military Order No. 2 Agenda
○ Propagation of Filipino Culture
 ○Principle of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere - a device for the development
of the Japanese race.
○ Spiritual rejuvenation of the Filipinos
○ Nippongo
○ Vocational and Elementary Education
○ The promotion of the love of labor
● Colleges offering agriculture, medicine, fisheries, and engineering courses also resumed
teaching. However, law courses were not instructed. Textbook passages concerning American
ideologies of democracy were censored. Educational reforms required teachers to obtain
licenses following rigorous examinations. All heads of educational institutions were also
required to get support. Also, the teaching of Tagalog, Philippine History, and character
education was reserved for Filipinos.
● The teachers were to become condescending mouthpieces of Japanese propaganda

3rd to 5th Republic

● 3rd Republic
● Executive Order No. 94 – (Reorganization Act of 1947) Department of Education (changed from
Department of Instruction)
● Republic Act No. 139 – Board on Textbooks
● Republic Act No. 1079 (1954) – Civil Service Eligibility of Teachers, must be permanent
● Republic Act No. 1265 (1955) – Daily Flag Ceremony and Signing of the National Anthem
● Curricular offerings in all schools, the life, the works and writings of Jose Rizal shall be included
in all levels
● Elementary education was nationalized and became free
● Republic Act No. 4670 (1966) – Magna Carta of Public School Teachers

4th Republic

● Fundamentals Aims of Education in 1973 Constitution

○ Foster love of country
○ Teach the duties of citizenship
○ Develop moral character
○ Self-discipline
○ Scientific, technological and vocational efficiency
● During Martial Law, a secondary education program called “Cooperative Work Curriculum” was
introduced through Department Order No. 6 series of 1973.
● This program saw the need for a work-oriented curriculum with the aim of equipping secondary
school students with skills needed in employment after graduation.
● Education Act of 1982 –Bilingual Education Policy (Filipino and English), created the Ministry of
Education, Culture and Sports
○ Establishes the basic policy and objectives for education. It establishes the rights, duties
and obligations of those in the education community (e.g. parents, students, teachers,
principals, non-academic staff etc.) It also regulates the education system with respect
 to the establishment of schools, funding, private and public schooling, specialized
schooling, international schools etc.
● Pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 6-A, it is hereby declared a policy of the State to maintain
the highest quality of education for purposes of national development. To achieve this policy, all
high school graduates shall be required to pass a national entrance examination as a pre-
requisite for admission to any post-secondary academic or professional degree program
necessitating a minimum of four years' study in any private or public institution of higher
learning, whether chartered or unchartered.

5th Republic

● Executive Order No. 117 (January 30, 1987) reorganized the MECS into the Department of
Education, Culture and Sports (DECS).
● Republic Act No. 7722 (May 18, 1994) and Republic Act No. 7796 (August 23,1994) created the
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA), respectively, giving rise to a trifocalized education system which refocused
DECS’ mandate to basic education covering pre-school, elementary and secondary, and non-
formal education.
● Here are the subjects for each grade level: Grade 1: Language, Reading and Literacy,
Mathematics, Makabansa, GMRC Grade 2: Filipino, English, Mathematics, Makabansa, GMRC
Grade 3: Filipino, English, Mathematics, Makabansa, GMRC, Science Grades 4-10: Filipino,
English, Mathematics, Science, Araling Panlipunan, Technology and Livelihood Education,
MAPEH, GMRC.