The Philippine Education system has gone through various changes throughout the years since it first began. From the Early Filipinos (900-1521), their practical way of production and their plain and simple education, wherein at the time the medium of instruction was Alibata, the native alphabet, to the Spanish period (1521 – 1898) wherein compared to the previous system it was changed into a formal one. After the Spanish Period came the American Period (1899 – 1943). Just like the Spaniards, the Americans, in the 45-year duration of their colonization, have brought with them changes that are cultural and traditional. The Japanese Occupation (1943 – 1946) came after the Americans, they gave out new basic principles and guidelines of education in re-opening and operating schools. After the Japanese Occupation in the Present Period (1947 – Present) that we are experiencing as of today, wherein it is observable that the Americans, among all three colonizers, are the most dominant in terms of their influence in culture and traditions.
The first Education System; the Early Filipinos Education was a system wherein education was truly valued. The educators at the pre-colonial times were called the Babaylan and the Katalonan. They are Gifted people with enough wisdom and knowledge on spirituality and the terms of running their society, they were very much respected by the people. The type of education and teachings that were taught was one that was based on their beliefs and traditions. However, since there was an insufficient scientific basis, they lacked efficient means of economic production. At the time Fathers were responsible for the education of their sons, likewise, the mothers are tasked to educate their daughters.
Fathers trained their sons to hunt and work for their survival and livelihood, while the mothers teach their daughters to take charge of their household and chores. The purpose of this kind of education as preparation for both boys and girls to become good husbands and wives in the future. Filipino men and women were taught how to read and write using their own alphabet called Alibata. Which was composed of 17 symbols each representing the letters of the alphabet. The symbols have three vowels and the rest were consonants. In the present times, Alibatas are seen as an aesthetic and cultural way of acknowledging the Early Filipino Educations. It has been used as a way of spreading Filipino culture and the trait of being Makabayan.
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After the Early Filipinos Education System was the Spanish Period. In this educational system, Christian Doctrines were the main focus in terms of education. These Christian Doctrines and teachings are still, up to this era, observed in most, if not all, Schools, Colleges, and Universities. Separation of schools for boys and girls was evident and the elite people or what was called the Illustrados were given more privileges and accommodation in various schools and universities of their choice. In the era that is today, there are some schools, colleges, and universities that still follow the tradition of separating school for boys and school for girls. It was also evident that during the Spanish authorities were then mandated to educate the natives on how to read and write, and to learn Spanish upon the order of King Philip II’s Law of the Indies (Leyes de Indias).
However, given the realities of the time, that order was quite impossible. The Public School System in the Philippines was born 1863 and the main goal of the missionaries, other than teaching Christianity, was to maintain the rules and regulations imposed on the students. In addition, teaching and controlling them was also their responsibility. Since the Spanish authorities adopted the program of elementary education in 1863, education became free to all children aged between seven and thirteen. With such a program, the Philippines were now ahead of some neighboring Asian colonies in general education. Although a systematic education was established, there was still inequality in attaining education.
The education system familiar to Filipinos was religious and patriarchal. People were also taught that social mobility was achieved through education, but sadly this was demonstrated in social inequality and female oppression. The higher priority in educational attainment was in favor of men rather than women. Although the Mestizos and wealthy people enjoyed the privileges of entering prestigious schools, there were women-only vocational schools for women. However, most women were denied their rights to education due to the ideology that women are staying at home only.
The Decree of Education in 1863 established the first-ever educational system in the Philippines. It required the government to provide school institutions for boys and girls in every town and in doing so the Spanish schools started welcoming Filipino students. This also meant that Normal Schools which gave more opportunity to the Filipinos to attain a sound education. The Normal Schools offered a three-year teacher-led education at the primary level.
The American Period came after the Spanish period. In this period children, age 7 were required to register to school and education was free. It is also evident that the Americans have the strongest influence among the three countries that have colonized the Philippines, as it is observable that up until now their influence can be seen in our current lifestyle. Education has been a major part of the vision of the Americans when colonizing the Philippines since it is their primary motive to spread cultural values and the English language to Filipino people. In the duration of the American period, levels of education were divided into three. The “elementary” level, The “secondary” level, and the “tertiary” level.
“Elementary” which was composed of four primary years and three intermediate years. Next, the “secondary” or what is known as the high school level consisted of four years, and finally, the “college” or tertiary level which depended on the educational program of one’s choice. Unlike the duration of the Spanish period, religion was not a mandatory part of the school curriculum. If students excelled in their academics they were given the chance to pursue their studies and their choice of expertise in certain fields or professions in the United States. These students were called “Scholar”, as all expenses were covered by the government. In return, they were obliged to teach or work for the government after they finished their studies.
The Japanese Occupation was introduced after the American Period. This education system started in 1941 and a year later changes in the system were implemented.
Basic principle and guidelines for education in re-opening and operating schools of the following were implemented:
- To enrich the Filipino culture and to stop patronizing western countries.
- To recognize that the Philippines as a part of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere so that the Philippines and Japan could have good relations;
- To boost the morality of the Filipinos and instill cautiousness of materialism;
- To forget and to stop English language learning, and instead learn and adopt Nippongo;
- To proliferate primary and vocational education; To foster a love for work.
During this time, It is observable that Tagalog teachings and Philippine History and Character were taught in school.
The Present Period is the current Education System that we are experiencing today. Schools are divided into two categories public/state universities (funded by the government) or private (non-government). The preparatory levels consist of nurseries, kindergartens and preparatory schools offered in most private schools. Afterward moving on to six years of primary education(Grade School), and then four years of secondary education (High School), then college. Generally, pursuing college education takes four, rarely five years and in some cases, such as medical and law schools, it takes as long as eight years.
With the Present Period or the current educational system in the Philippines, Education has now become a rather trending topic in terms of new curriculums and systems. The Kinder to 12, more commonly known as K-12, is the present time program implemented in the Philippines. It focuses on Kinder and 12 years of basic education. Elementary School (Kindergarten-Grade 6), Junior High School (Grade 7 – 10), Senior High School (Grade 11 and 12). This new curriculum has faced multiple backlashes and various criticism from students, parents, teachers and administrators alike.
Does the K-12 program meet the needs of modern-day learners? As a student of the University of Santo Tomas, Senior High School, under the K-12 curriculum, a modern-day learner, I can say that the current educational system is not appropriate to the modern-day Filipino learners, at least not yet. I think that the current educational system was somehow a process that was rushed. The first few batches of students who underwent the K-12 curriculum went through various changes and modes of learning, this process, for me, has become a hindrance to the continuous learning of students since they are being used as guinea pigs, they do not have a concrete way of learning resulting in over 400,000 dropouts and multiple protests from Filipinos saying that the K-12 was a complete failure that was implemented by an incompetent government.
Another incompetency in the K-12 curriculum is the way it was promoted by government officials and the media, they have stated that K-12 can make the Philippines Globally Competitive and that those who will graduate after Year 12 will be given Job opportunities immediately even without enrolling to the tertiary education or college. There are multiple problems that were raised during the first few years of the K-12 system, up until today there are problems that government officials, students, teachers, and parents face with regard to the K-12 system.
The current educational system can be improved if the government studies how they are going to work in order to improve. If the government wishes to achieve better education for all, they must start by listening to those who are currently in the field of education. Students, Teachers, Administrators, and Parents, The feedbacks and suggestions of these people are what they should take into account because I think these people are the ones who suffer most from the failure of the government to further improve their educational services.
These people are the ones who experience what it is like to be studying under these circumstances. The Department of Education only focuses on how learners learn and how teachers teach, but education is not only about the academic competencies and teaching abilities, education is learning to be a part of society. What is the purpose of being an academic achiever if one does not know how to be a part of society? What is the purpose of becoming an excellent educator if one does not know how to emotionally connect with learners? The government seeks to improve for their own benefits, not for the benefit of every Filipino.
