Page images
PDF
EPUB

CHAPTER XXIX.

THE PRESENT EDUCATIONAL MOVEMENT IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.

[By Fred W. Atkinson, general superintendent of public instruction in the Philippines.] Contents.-I. Introduction.-II. Military government.-III. Beginnings of the present work.— IV. The present organization.-V. Work done up to date under the present organization.— VI. Conditions of the problem.-VII. American teachers.-VIII. Filipino teachers.-IX. Filipino children.-X. Text-books and supplies; course of study.-XI. School finances.XII. Night schools.-XIII. Vacation normal school.-XIV. Permanent normal school.XV. Special schools: Normal, nautical, and trade schools of the Philippine Islands.-XVI. Special work.-XVII. Industrial education.-XVIII. School buildings.-XIX. Holidays, vacations, school sessions.-XX. Legislation: Necessary additional enactments.-XXI. Present plans for future development.-XXII. Education of Filipinos in the United States.-XXIII Relation of educational work to that of other departments.-XXIV. Educational policy.XXV. Educational outlook.

I.-INTRODUCTION.

Before the American occupation of the Philippine Islands there was a plan of education under the Spanish rule which, if carried out properly, would have been productive of substantial results in training the Filipinos.1 The system included the establishment throughout the archipelago of schools for primary instruction, as ordered in the royal decree of December 20, 1863, and also the founding of higher schools for secondary instruction, special schools, normal institutions, and colleges. The growth of this system, however, was hardly a normal one, in which the primary and secondary schools were first thoroughly established and the higher institutions and colleges founded later to receive the graduates of the elėmentary schools; for as early as 1611, twenty-five years before the beginning of our oldest university-Harvard-the University of Santo Tomás was founded; and other colleges were likewise established long before there was even a plan for a general system of primary and seconday instruction. With these higher institutions in existence so much earlier than the great majority of lower schoolstheir necessary predecessors-satisfactory results were impossible. The natural, and indeed, the real tendency was to deny the masses even a good elementary education and to center efforts upon the few who were hurried to the college or university. The result of this policy has been that a few persons have stood out prominently as educated Filipinos, while the great mass of the people have either not been educated at all or only up to a certain point, namely, the acquisition of the mechanical processes of reading and writing. It is needless to say that these higher institutions did not have a standard equal to that of our colleges of to-day, yet they offered comparatively advanced courses which could have been pursued advantageously if the children in general could have secured the necessary preparation in primary and secondary schools.

The early work of the Jesuits in training the Filipinos was commendable, and along right lines in furnishing a common school education. It would have been productive of permanently good results if this order had not been supplanted by the local padres, under whose direction the common branches suffered through lack of attention.

For full information concerning early education in the Philippines see Vols. I and II of the Report of the First Philippine Commission, and also the Report of the United States Commissioner of Education for 1897-98, together with such histories in Philippine matters as Foreman's Historical Information, passim.

A system of education was established in the Philippines by the royal decree, mentioned above, under date December 20, 1863, which, in brief, provided for the establishment of a normal school in Manila for training teachers, and of separate primary schools for both males and females in the various towns. Instruction was to be free to those unable to pay. The schools were classified as:

(1) Entrance (Entrada).

(2) Promotion (Ascenso).

(3) Second class finishing schools (Término de segunda clase).

(4) First class finishing schools (Término de primera clase).

The subjects taught in the primary schools comprised:

(1) Christian doctrine and principles of morality and sacred history suitable for children.

(2) Reading.

(3) Writing.

(4) Practical instruction in Spanish, including grammar and orthography. (5) Principles of arithmetic, comprising the four fundamental operations, common fractions, decimal fractions, and instruction in the metric system, with its equivalents in ordinary weights and measures.

(6) Instruction in general geography and Spanish history.

(7) Instruction in practical agriculture as applied to the products of the country. (8) Rules of deportment.

(9) Vocal music.

Religious instruction was first in the thought of those who had the schools in charge. In fact in many districts such was the only instruction given, and this was imparted in the local native dialect. The following quotations taken from the first Philippine Commissioners' Report show how slightly this curriculum was followed by the native teachers:

commom.

*

*

*

*

*

*

* *

*

Ability to read and write a little of the local native language was comparatively Instruction in geography was extremely superficial. The only history ever taught was that of Spain, and that under conventional censorship. The history of other nations was a closed book to the average Filipino. Vocal music was not taught, and the institution in practical agriculture was a sorry farce. Girls were not given instruction in geography, history, or agriculture, but in place of these subjects were supposed to receive instruction in mploy ments suitable to their sex.

*

*

The Spanish regulations provided that there should be one male and one female primary school-teacher for each 5,000 inhabitants. It is clearly shown in the Report of the Philippine Commission that even this inadequate provision was never carried out. "Taking the entire population at 8,000,000, we find that there is but one teacher to each 4,179 inhabitants." There were no schoolhouses, no modern furniture, and until the Americans came there were no good text-books. The schools were held in residences of the teachers or in buildings rented by the munieipalities and used by the principals as dwellings. In some of the schools there were wooden benches and tables, but it was not at all unusual to find a school without any seats for the pupils.

Very little of the instruction in the schools outside a certain few towns was in Spanish, since the majority of the teachers did not understand this language. Under the Spanish régime no adequate provision was made for the training of teachers; for, although included in this decree of 1863, the plan was not carried out. In the larger towns the four elementary arithmetical processes were attempted, and in a few towns the geography was used as a reading book. The girls were taught embroidery and needlework. From the start the schools were entirely under the supervision of the religious orders, and there was no organized department of public instruction.

[graphic]
[ocr errors]

Education to-day as a science, as we know, has received the greatest contributions from the Anglo-Saxon, Teutonic, Romance (except Spanish), and Slavic elements; and in the life of these different peoples there came an awakening at a certain crisis which was in the nature of a revolution in the field of education, and which resulted in renewed effort, additional vigor, broader interpretation, and new ideas. And the outcome of all this is the present system known to us. Such a renascence took place early after the Angles and the Saxons combined; again, much later, when Germany became in a measure united after the peace of Westphalia; similarly, in the reconstruction period after our own civil war; and, again, after the Franco-Prussian struggle in 1870. This brief reference serves, perhaps, to illustrate my point: The history of education in any country, represented graphically, would show certain sudden departures from previous conditions, and these momentary changes would be found to coincide with events of great political import. Spain experienced such at various times, but, in my opinion, it remained for the Spanish-American war to bring about a thorough awakening to present needs and a new interest in matters educational in the Philippine Islands.

II.-MILITARY GOVERNMENT.

The transitional period from the old Spanish methods to the present American school system was that of the military government, under which educational matters received unexpectedly careful attention and experienced the first influences of the system working at the present time. Naturally these influences were weak and the Spanish system, particularly the text-books of that system, remained in large part. Yet the step from past to present methods can be traced in this interval of military rule; some American text-books were introduced and soldiers were detailed to teach in various towns. There originated a general conviction that English should be taught directly without the medium of Spanish and immediately; recommendations for trained teachers of English were made; the children, in fact, were given an introduction to the English language, and the people in part acquainted with the idea of American schools.

General Otis was very much interested in education, and it was his desire that the army officers open up as many schools as possible. He selected and ordered the text-books in use during this time. Several of the district commanders appointed officers to act as superintendents of schools. Among these were many chaplains. In a few instances these attempts at supervision of schools were successful. Capt. John G. Ballance, who had charge of schools in northern Luzon, worked with enthusiasm and intelligence. As a result 120 schools were opened and pretty well equipped with stationery and supplies. He found it a difficult matter to get teachers for English instruction, and soldiers were detailed for that purpose.

In the island of Cebu there was considerable activity in school matters, Colonel McClernand himself paying personal attention to the subject of education. The same fact was true in the island of Mindanao, General Kobbé giving a great deal of attention to the establishment of schools.

In general it may be said that education throughout the islands was in a chaotic condition. The schools that had been established were poor. There was no attempt at gradation of pupils, and the work, lacking proper supervision, was aimless. The reports on schools by the district commanders were incomplete, six out of the fifteen not making any report. According to these reports about 1,000 schools were in operation during the military rule. Where these schools were reopened the equipment was entirely inadequate, consisting ordinarily of old books used in Spanish times. Up to September 1, 1900, approximately $41,000 were expended for stationery and text-books ordered by the military governor, most of which latter were in Spanish. A considerable portion of this amount was used in Manila alone. The following is a complete list of supplies furnished to the

[ocr errors][ocr errors]

schools through commanding officers, together with a statement of their distribution:

[blocks in formation]
« PreviousContinue »