Development of Philippine Education

Pre‐ Spanish Times

•  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.

Spanish system

•  Education was religion--‐ oriented; It was for the elite class only

•  Liberalized through the enactment of the Educational Decree of 1863 or the free public
education system in the Philippines; the first in Asia

 Provided for the establishment of at least one

Primary school for boys and 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 instruction was free and available to every Filipino regardless of ethnicity and socio-
economic status

•  Malolos Constitution --‐ A system of free and compulsory elementary education was
established

•  Schurman Commission --‐ an adequate secularized and improved free public school
system

•  Taft Commission – English as medium of instruction

•  1901 Philippine Commission – installation of highly centralized public school system and
more than 600 American teachers were brought to the
Philippines (Thomasites)

Japanese Education --‐ the teaching of Tagalog, Philippine History, and Character Education
was reserved for Filipinos.
 Love for work and dignity of labor was emphasized.

•  Education during pre‐ Martial Law – The 2‐ 2 plan which provided common curriculum in
the 1st and 2nd years, vocational curricula was
implemented.

•  Education Under the New Society – Pres. Marcos formulated a 10 year national
education development program.

In 1972, Department of Education became Department of Education and Culture.

1973 Constitution – Revised Secondary Education Program and set out the 3 fundamental aims
of Philippine Education:
1.  Foster love of country;
2.  Teach the duties of citizenship; and
3.  Develop moral character, self--‐ discipline, and scientific, technological & vocational
efficiency.

•  Education Under the New Society – Pres. Marcos formulated a 10 year national
education development program.

 1978 DECS became Ministry of Education & Culture

 The Education Act of 1982 or BP 232

 Provided for an integrated system of education covering for both formal and non-‐ formal
education at all levels;
 also created the Ministry of Education, Culture & Sports

BEC 2002/RBEC 2002

*  According to then--‐ Sec. of Education Raul Roco, the 2002 BEC was based on a 16-
‐ year study (starting in 1986). Implementation of RBEC was based on Executive Order No. 46,
which in turn was based on recommendations of the Philippine Commission on Educational
Reforms (PCER), created on Dec. 7, 1998.

*  “The restructuring of the curriculum is part of an ongoing effort to improve the quality
of learning. We are focusing on the basics of improving literacy and numeracy while inculcating
values across learning areas to make it dynamic.” (Raul Roco)
 *  The 2002 BEC is a restructuring and not a sweeping change of the elementary and secondary
curricula (NESC & NSEC)

 BEC 2002/RBEC 2002

*  The implementation of the 2002 Basic Education Curriculum was announced in DepEd Order
No. 25, s. 2002, issued on June 17, 2002.

*  The actual implementing guidelines were found in DepEd Order No. 43, s. 2002, dated Aug. 29,
2002.

*  Less than a year later (on June 12, 2003), a new curriculum (the Revised BEC) was signed into
law.

K – 12 Basic Education Curriculum

The Philippines is committed to achieving its Education for All (EFA) goals not only for the
development of each Filipino, but also for the overall social and economic progress of the country.
Part of the Philippine Education For All Plan of Action 2015, is Critical Task No. 5, “the expansion of
basic education, targeting that by 2015, the Philippines has lengthened its cycle of basic education
schooling to make it twelve years.
 The Road To World-Class Philippine Education
Before, Philippines is the ONLY country in the whole of Southeast Asia with only
ten years of basic education and pre-university education. The other countries with
their corresponding duration of basic education and pre-university education are
Cambodia (12 years of primary and secondary and 1 year pre-university or a total of 13
years); Laos (11 years primary and secondary and 1 year of pre-university or a total of
13 years); Myanmar (11 years of primary and secondary and 1 year of pre-university or
a total of 12 years); Timor-Leste (12 years of primary and secondary); Indonesia (12
years of primary and secondary and 1 year of pre-university or a total of 13 years).

The two advanced economies in SE Asia are Singapore (11 years of primary and
secondary with 2-3 years of pre-university or a total of 13-14 years) and Malaysia (11
years of primary and secondary and 2 years of pre-university or a total of 13 years).

Whenever I hear people say that extending the number of years of basic
education in our schools from 10 to 12 years is premature, I find this a tragic viewpoint.
It means some Filipino’s believes that we can’t even give our young people the same
duration of education as even countries poorer than ours such as Myanmar, Timor, Laos
and Cambodia.

The principal victims of this obviously inadequate duration are primarily the
children of the poor and the middle class. The so-called “exclusive” schools like La Salle
and Xavier have been historically offering 12 years starting with Prep to Grade 7 in
elementary and 4 years in high school. The very rich send their children to foreign
schools in the USA or Britain where 12 years is the basic duration.

The idea of extending the duration of basic education is not new. As far back as
July 28, 1949, a UNESCO Educational Commission to the Philippines released a report
that included a conclusion those 6 years of elementary school and 4 years in the
secondary is not adequate. The group proposed eventually this should be increased to
12 years.

After almost 64 years, the 2-year extension, as proposed, finally became law. On
May 15, 2013 President Benigno Aquino III signed into law Republic Act No. 10533
entitled “An Act Enhancing the Philippine Basic Education System by Strengthening the
Curriculum and Increasing the Number of Years for Basic Education, Appropriating
Funds Therefore and for Other Purposes.”

The improvement of the education program, through K to 12 will benefit not only
the student but also their families. The additional 2 years has allowed the curriculum to
be revised and decongested. In the old curriculum too much knowledge, skills and
values were expected to be learned by students within a limited period of time.

Under the new program, graduates will also be better prepared for higher
studies. We have students who are entering college at the age of 15 to 16 years. In
most countries, the normal age for entering college is 18 years.
 Under the new program, high school graduates will be better equipped to work
and will, therefore, be more employable. Under the present situation, two years of
college or even a college degree is required even for semi-skilled jobs.

According to Secretary Luistro the implementation of the K to 12 has been

Secretary Luistro explains: “The first graduates [of the K to 12 program] would
actually be March of 2018. But if you look at the new curriculum.... those who will be
graduating [grade 12] in 2018 entered Grade 7 with the new curriculum. They never
went through the new curriculum from kindergarten to Grade 6. That’s what I mean by
you needed a minimum of 7 years. But the real reform, the first fruits of those, we will
see in the grade 1 students who started using the new curriculum 2 years ago. They
will be the first graduates of the full new K to 12 curriculum.”

Together with the K to 12 programs, the DepEd is also ensuring that by 2016
there will be no more shortages in the five learning inputs — classrooms, teachers,
learning materials, chairs and water and sanitation facilities. The main reason is that
there is now sufficient financial support. In the past, around 10,000 additional teachers
a year were being hired. This year we needed 61,500 teachers and the DepEd has
already hired around 90% of this target.

The K to 12 programs, the revision of the curriculum, addressing the shortages

The program will take seven to twelve years before we see its full fruits. For the
sake of a vision of a country where every Filipino is given the means to live a life of
human dignity by being given the competencies to take advantage of all the
opportunities available, I feel that it is only right that we have already embarked on this
bold and sorely needed education reform program. It is inevitable success and fruits
will prove that the Philippines can be, and will be, a world-class nation.