Republic of the Philippines

UNIVERSITY OF RIZAL SYSTEM

Province of Rizal

GRADUATE SCHOOL
Morong Campus

Course Code : EDUC 201

Philosophical Foundation of
Education
Professorial Lecturer : Dr. Aurora F. Trinidad
Student : Marissa M. Pascasio, LPT

: Joan Aurelyn A. Valdenarro, LPT

Topic/Report : Philippine Educational
System during Pre-Spanish
Period, Spanish Period and
Revolutionary Period

I. INTRODUCTION:
Educational system in the Philippines has a very brief history from the
past in which it has undergone several stages from the Pre-Spanish times to
the present. Education is of great importance because it’s a main avenue for
us Filipinos to achieve our social and economic success.
In meeting the needs of the society, education serves as focus of
emphases /priorities of the leadership at certain periods in our national
struggle as a race.

II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:

As early as in Pre-Spanish times, children were given the rudiments of
education, They were provided more vocational training and less academics
(3 Rs) by their parents and in the houses of tribal tutors. When the
Spaniards came, education became formal but primarily focused on
religious instruction and the teaching of the Catholic Church. There was also
discrimination in education.
 While the Spanish authorities established universities, their education
system was primarily intended for the wealthy and privileged classes. The
system left out a vast majority of the population who were poor and
uneducated. Spanish authorities did not establish public schools for the
locals, and even private schools were limited, primarily only available to the
wealthy families. The system was designed to maintain the colonial social
hierarchy, where only the rich have access to education, and the poor
remained ignorant and unskilled.

III. PRESENTATION/DISCUSSION:
Before the coming of the Spaniards, the Filipinos possessed a culture of
their own. They had contacts with other foreign people from Arabia, India,
China, Indo- China and Borneo. The diaries of Fr. Chirino attest to the
historical facts that “the inhabitants were civilized people, possessing their
system of writing, laws and moral standards in a well-organized system of
government. They have the code of Kalantiao and Maragtas – their belief in
the Bathala, the solidarity of family, the modesty of the women, the
children’s obedience and respect for their elders and in the valour of the
men.
The education during the Pre-Spanish time was informal and
unstructured. The fathers taught their sons how to look for food and other
means of livelihood while the mothers taught their daughters how to do
household chores. These are basically to prepare them to become good
husbands and wives. During that time they know how to read and write
using the Alibata.
Then the Spanish came and the education system became formal. Their
objective is to teach the natives of the Christian Doctrines using the
“Doctrina Christiana along with catechism, which main targets are the
children because they can easily learn and follow unlike adults who already
have their own beliefs. There was a separate, during the Spanish time was
Tagalog and Spanish. On the question of race, of course the Ilustrados and
the mestizos were give priorities to a better education.
In 1863 an Educational Decree mandated the school for boys and girls.
The medium of instruction during the Spanish time was Tagalog and
Spanish. Also in 1863 an Educational Decree mandated the establishment
of free primary schools in each town, one for the boys and one for girls with
the precise number of schools depending on the size of the population.
There were three grades: entrada, ascenso, and termino. The curriculum
required the study of Christian doctrine, values and history as well as
reading and writing in Spanish, mathematics, agriculture, etiquette, singing,
world geography, and Spanish history. Girls were also taught sewing.
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. 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. The schools were often poorly equipped,
lacking the desks, chairs, and writing materials that they were required to
have under the decree. Though classes were supposed to be held from 7-
10 am and 2:30-5 pm throughout the year, schools were often empty.
Children skipped school to help with planting and harvesting or even
because their clothes were ragged.
For higher education, there were a few reputable private institutions such
as the University of Sto.Tomas, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Ateneo
Municipal, Colegio de San Ildefonso in Cebu and Colegio de San Ignacio
which is the first college for the boys and established by the Jesuits in
Manila in 1589. The institutions for the girls are Colegio de Nuestra Seniora
de Santisisimo Rosario and Colegio de Sta. Potenciana which is the first
college for the girls in Manila. Though initially an institute of higher
education, UST was required by an 1865 decree to open public secondary
schools. Primary instruction 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 established, supported and maintained by the Spanish Government
and free and the teaching of Spanish was compulsory. .
The defeat of Spain by American forces paved the way for Aguinaldo’s
Republic under a Revolutionary Government. The schools maintained by
Spain for more than three centuries were closed for the time being but were
reopened on August 29, 1898 by the Secretary of Interior. The Burgos
Institute in Malolos, the Military Academy of Malolos, and the Literary
University of the Philippines were established. A system of free and
compulsory elementary education was established by the Malolos
Constitution.
The 1899 Malolos Constitution states that:
ARTICLE XIV- EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, ARTS,
CULTURE AND SPORTS
Section 1. The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to
quality education at all levels, and shall take appropriate steps to make such
education accessible to all.
Section 2.
(1) Complete, adequate, and Integrated system of Education
(2) Free public education in elementary and high school levels.
Elementary educations is compulsory for all children of school age.
(3) System of scholarship grants, student loan programs, subsidies,
and other incentives for deserving students, esp. the under-privileged.
(4) Non-formal, Informal, and Indigenous Learning Systems, Self
Learning, Independent, and Out-Of-School Study Programs in response to
community needs.
 (5) Civic, vocational, and skills training for adult citizens, PWDs, and
Out-of-school youth.
Section 3.
(1) Constitution as part of the curricula.
(2) Patriotism and Nationalism for the country
(3) Religion as subject is allowed in public elementary and high
schools.
Section 4.
(1) Complementary roles of public and private institutions in the
educational system. Supervision and regulation of all educational
institutions.
(2) The control and administration of educational institutions shall be
vested in citizens of the Philippines excluding those established by religious
groups.
(3) All revenues and assets of non-stock, non-profit educational
institutions used actually, directly, and exclusively for educational purposes
shall be exempt from taxes and duties.
(4) Subject to conditions prescribed by law, all grants, endowments,
donations, or contributions used actually, directly, and exclusively for
educational purposes shall be exempt from tax.
Section 5.
(1) Local planning in the development of educational policies and
programs.
(2) Academic freedom shall be enjoyed in all institutions of higher
learning.
(3) Every citizen has a right to select a profession or course of study,
subject to fair, reasonable, and equitable admission and academic
requirements.
(4) The State shall enhance the right of teachers to professional
advancement. Non-teaching academic and non-academic personnel shall
enjoy the protection
of the State.
(5) The State shall assign the highest budgetary priority to education
and ensure that teaching will attract and retain its rightful share of the best
available talents through adequate remuneration and other means of job
satisfaction and fulfilment.
The curriculum during this period are Science, Math, History, Philosophy,
Law, Language, P.E, Religion, Music and Social Sciences, and the aim of
education is love of country and of God.
IV. IMPLICATION TO THE COURSE:

Education during the Spanish time in the Philippines was very different
from how it is today. The educational system was primarily established to
promote Catholicism and increase the Filipinos' loyalty towards Spain.
Education during this time was geared towards achieving the colonial
objectives of Spain. They aimed to produce an educated class who would
serve the state and the Catholic Church. The Spanish authorities also aimed
to maintain the social and economic hierarchy, resulting in limited access to
education for the poor. Today, the Philippines' education system is a far cry
from the one established by the Spanish colonial authorities, offering free
education to all Filipinos. The Philippines' education system reflects the
modern and progressive aspirations of a country that values education as
an essential tool for social and economic progress.

V. REFERENCE/S:
https://www.academia.edu/34208155/
HISTORY_OF_PHILIPPINE_EDUCATION_SYSTEM
https://www.classace.io/answers/write-an-essay-about-explain-how-
historical-foundation-influences-curriculum-development
https://www.slideshare.net/MsKrabbs19/historical-perspective-in-philippine-
education

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