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Home | Education Worldwide | Education in the Philippines |

History of Education in the

Philippines
Before the Philippines attained complete independence in 1946, the
country's education system was patterned on the systems of Spain
and the United States--countries which colonized and governed the
country for more than three hundred years. However, after
independence, the country's educational system has constantly
undergone reform.

Pre-colonial period
During the pre-colonial period, most children were provided with solely
vocational training, which was supervised by parents, tribal tutors or
those assigned for specific, specialized roles within their communities
(for example, the babaylan). 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. Some communities utilised a writing
system known as baybayin, whose use was wide and varied, though
there are other syllabaries used throughout the archipelago.

Spanish period
Formal education was brought to the Philippines by the Spaniards,
which was conducted mostly by religious orders. Upon learning the
local languages and writing systems, they began teaching Christianity,
the Spanish language, and Spanish culture. These religious orders
opened the first schools and universities as early as the 16th century.
Spanish missionaries established schools immediately after reaching
the islands. The Augustinians opened a parochial school in Cebu in
1565. The Franciscans, took to the task of improving literacy in 1577,
aside from the teaching of new industrial and agricultural techniques.
The Jesuits followed in 1581, as well as the Dominicans in 1587,
setting up a school in Bataan. The church and the school cooperated to
ensure that Christian villages had schools for students to attend.

Schools for boys and for girls were then opened. Colegios were opened
for boys, ostensibly the equivalent to present day senior high schools.
The Universidad de San Ignacio, founded in Manila by the Jesuits in
1589 was the first colegio. Eventually, it was incorporated into the
University of Santo Tomas, College of Medicine and Pharmacology
following the suppression of the Jesuits. Girls had two types of schools
- the beaterio, a school meant to prepare them for the convent, and
another, meant to prepare them for secular womanhood.

The Spanish also introduced printing presses to produce books in

Spanish and Tagalog, sometimes using baybayin. The first book
printed in the Philippines dates back to 1590. It was a Chinese
language version of Doctrina Christiana. Spanish and Tagalog versions,
in both Latin script and the locally used baybayin script, were later
printed in 1593. In 1610, Tomas Pinpin, a Filipino printer, writer and
publisher, who is sometimes referred to as the "Patriarch of Filipino
Printing", wrote his famous "Librong Pagaaralan nang manga Tagalog
nang Uicang Castilla", which was meant to help Filipinos learn the
Spanish language. The prologue read:

" Let us therefore study, my countrymen, for although the art of

learning is somewhat difficult, yet if we are persevering, we shall soon
improve our knowledge.

Other Tagalogs like us did not take a year to learn the Spanish
language when using my book. This good result has given me
satisfaction and encouraged me to print my work, so that all may
derive some profit from it.

"
The Educational Decree of 1863 provided a free public education
system in the Philippines, managed by the government. The decree
mandated the establishment of at least one primary school for boys
and one for 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 education was
also declared 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; rather, they are
schools that were established, supported, and maintained by the
Spanish government.

After the implementation of the decree, the number of schools and

students increased steadily. In 1866, the total population of the
Philippines was 4,411,261. The total number of public schools for boys
was 841, and the number of public schools for girls was 833. The total
number of children attending those schools was 135,098 for boys, and
95,260 for girls. In 1892, the number of schools had increased to
2,137, of which 1,087 were for boys, and 1,050 for girls. By 1898,
enrollment in schools at all levels exceeded 200,000 students.

Among those who benefited from the free public education system
were a burgeoning group of Filipino intellectuals: the Ilustrados
('enlightened ones'), some of whom included José Rizal, Graciano
López Jaena, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Mariano Ponce, and Antonio Luna--
all of whom played vital roles in the Propaganda Movement that
ultimately inspired the founding of the Katipunan.

First Republic
The defeat of Spain following the Spanish-American War led to the
short-lived Philippine Independence movement, which established the
insurgent First Philippine Republic. The schools maintained by Spain
for more than three centuries were closed briefly, but were reopened
on August 29, 1898 by the Secretary of Interior. The Burgos Institute
(the country's first law school), the Academia Militar (the country's
first military academy), and the Literary University of the Philippines
were established. Article 23 of the Malolos Constitution mandated that
public education would be free and obligatory in all schools of the
nation under the First Philippine Republic. However, the Philippine-
American War hindered its progress.

American period
About a year after having secured Manila, the Americans were keen to
open up seven schools with army servicemen teaching with army
command-selected books and supplies. In the same year, 1899, more
schools were opened, this time, with 24 English-language teachers and
4500 students.

A highly centralised, experimental public school system was installed

in 1901 by the Philippine Commission and legislated by Act No. 74.
The law exposed a severe shortage of qualified teachers, brought
about by large enrollment numbers in schools. As a result, the
Philippine Commission authorized the Secretary of Public Instruction to
bring more than 1,000 teachers from the United States, who were
called the Thomasites, to the Philippines between 1901 and 1902.
These teachers were scattered throughout the islands to establish
barangay schools. The same law established the Philippine Normal
School (now the Philippine Normal University) to train aspiring Filipino
teachers.

The high school system was supported by provincial governments and

included special educational institutions, schools of arts and trades, an
agricultural school, and commerce and marine institutes, which were
established in 1902 by the Philippine Commission.

Several other laws were passed throughout the period. In 1902, Act
No. 372 authorised the opening of provincial high schools.

1908 marked the year when Act No. 1870 initiated the opening of the
University of the Philippines, now the country's national university.

The emergence of high school education in the Philippines, however,

did not occur until 1910. It was borne out of rising numbers in
enrollment, widespread economic depression, and a growing demand
by big businesses and technological advances in factories and the
emergence of electrification for skilled workers. In order to meet this
new job demand, high schools were created and the curriculum
focused on practical job skills that would better prepare students for
professional white collar or skilled blue collar work. This proved to be
beneficial for both the employer and the employee; the investment in
human capital caused employees to become more efficient, which
lowered costs for the employer, and skilled employees received a
higher wage than those employees with just primary educational
attainment.

However, a steady increase in enrollment in schools appeared to have

hindered any revisions to then-implemented experimental educational
system. Act No. 1381, also known as Gabaldon Law, was passed in
1907, which provided a fund of a million pesos for construction of
concrete school buildings and is one of many attempts by the
government to meet this demand. In line as well with the Filipinization
policy of the government, the Reorganization Act of 1916 provided
that all department secretaries except the Secretary of Public
Instruction must be a natural-born Filipino.

A series of revisions (in terms of content, length, and focus) to the

curriculum began in 1924, the year the Monroe Survey Commission
released its findings. After having convened in the period from 1906 to
1918, what was simply an advisory committee on textbooks was
officiated in 1921 as the Board on Textbooks through Act No. 2957.
The Board was faced with difficulties, however, even up to the 1940s,
but because financial problems hindered the possibility of newer
adaptations of books.

Third Republic
In 1947, after the United States relinquished all its authority over the
Philippines, President Manuel Roxas issued Executive Order No. 94
which renamed Department of Instruction into Department of
Education. During this period, the regulation and supervision of public
and private schools belonged to the Bureau of Public and Private
Schools.

Fourth Republic
In 1972, the Department of Education became the Department of
Education and Culture (DECS) under Proclamation 1081, which was
signed by President Ferdinand Marcos.

On September 24, 1972, by Presidential Decree No. 1, DECS was

decentralized with decision-making shared among its thirteen regional
offices.

Following a referendum of all barangays in the Philippines from

January 10-15, 1973, President Marcos ratified the 1973 Constitution
by Proclamation 1102 on January 17, 1973. The 1973 Constitution set
out the three fundamental aims of education in the Philippines:

to foster love of country;

to teach the duties of citizenship; and
to develop moral character, self-discipline, and scientific, technological
and vocational efficiency.

In 1978, by the Presidential Decree No. 1397, DECS became the

Ministry of Education and Culture.
The Education Act of 1982 provided for an integrated system of
education covering both formal and non-formal education at all levels.
Section 29 of the act sought to upgrade educational institutions'
standards to achieve "quality education" through voluntary
accreditation for schools, colleges, and universities. Section 16 and
Section 17 upgraded the obligations and qualifications required for
teachers and administrators. Section 41 provided for government
financial assistance to private schools. This act also created the
Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports.
Fifth Republic
A new constitution was ratified on February 2, 1987, and entered into
force of February 11. Section 3, Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution
contains the ten fundamental aims of education in the Philippines.
Section 2(2), Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution made elementary
school compulsory for all children.

In 1987, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports became again

the DECS under Executive Order No. 117. The structure of DECS as
embodied in the order remained practically unchanged until 1994.

On May 26, 1988, the Congress of the Philippines enacted the Republic
Act 6655 or the Free Public Secondary Education Act of 1988, which
mandated free public secondary education commencing in the school
year 1988-1989.

On February 3, 1992, the Congress enacted Republic Act 7323, which

provided that students aged 15 to 25 may be employed during their
Christmas vacation and summer vacation with a salary not lower than
the minimum wage--with 60% of the wage paid by the employer and
40% by the government.

The Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM) report of 1991

recommended the division of DECS into three parts. On May 18, 1994,
the Congress passed Republic Act 7722 or the Higher Education Act of
1994, creating the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), which
assumed the functions of the Bureau of Higher Education and
supervised tertiary degree programs. On August 25, 1994, the
Congress passed Republic Act 7796 or the Technical Education and
Skills Development Act of 199, creating the Technical Education and
Skills Development Authority (TESDA), which absorbed the Bureau of
Technical-Vocational Education as well as the National Manpower and
Youth Council, and began to supervise non-degree technical-vocational
programs. DECS retained responsibility for all elementary and
secondary education. This threefold division became known as the
"trifocal system of education" in the Philippines.

In August 2001, Republic Act 9155, otherwise called the Governance

of Basic Education Act, was passed. This act changed the name of
DECS to the current Department of Education (DepEd) and redefined
the role of field offices (regional offices, division offices, district offices
and schools). The act provided the overall framework for school
empowerment by strengthening the leadership roles of headmasters
and fostering transparency and local accountability for school
administrations. The goal of basic education was to provide the school
age population and young adults with skills, knowledge, and values to
become caring, self-reliant, productive, and patriotic citizens.
In 2005, the Philippines spent about US$138 per pupil, compared to
US$3,728 in Japan, US$1,582 in Singapore and US$852 in Thailand.

In 2006, the Education for All (EFA) 2015 National Action Plan was
implemented. It states:

" The central goal is to provide basic competencies to everyone, and to

achieve functional literacy for all. Ensuring that every Filipino has the
basic competencies is equivalent to providing all Filipinos with the
basic learning needs, or enabling all Filipinos to be functionally literate.
"

In terms of secondary level education, all children aged twelve to

fifteen, are sought to be on track to completing the schooling cycle
with satisfactory achievement levels at every year.

In January 2009, the Department of Education signed a memorandum

of agreement with the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) to seal $86 million assistance to Philippine
education, particularly the access to quality education in the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), and the Western and
Central Mindanao regions.

Recent years
In 2010, then-Senator Benigno Aquino III expressed his desire to
implement the K-12 basic education cycle to increase the number of
years of compulsory education to thirteen years. According to him, this
will "give everyone an equal chance to succeed" and "have quality
education and profitable jobs". After further consultations and studies,
the government under President Aquino formally adopted the K-6-4-2
basic education system--one year of kindergarten, six years of
elementary education, four years of junior high school education and
two years of senior high school education. Kindergarten was formally
made compulsory by virtue of the Kindergarten Education Act of 2012,
while the further twelve years were officially put into law by virtue of
the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013. Although DepEd has
already implemented the K-12 Program since SY 2011-2012, it was
still enacted into law to guarantee its continuity in the succeeding
years.

The former system of basic education in the Philippines consists of

one-year preschool education, six-year elementary education and four-
year high school education. Although public preschool, elementary and
high school education are provided free, only primary education is
stipulated as compulsory according to the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
Pre-primary education caters to children aged five. A child aged six
may enter elementary schools with, or without pre-primary education.
Following on from primary education is four-years of secondary
education, which can theoretically be further divided into three years
of lower secondary and one year of upper secondary education.
Ideally, a child enters secondary education at the age of 12. After
completing their secondary education, students may progress to a
technical education and skills development to earn a certificate or a
diploma within one to three years, depending on the skill. Students
also have the option to enrol in higher education programmes to earn
a baccalaureate degree.

Former educational system

(used from 1945 until June 5, 2011)

School Grade Other names Age

Kindergarten was not

compulsory

Grade 1 6-7

Grade 2 Primary 7-8

Grade 3 8-9

Elementary school (Primary) Grade 4 9-10

10-
Grade 5 Intermediat
11
e

11-
Grade 6
12
 12-
First Year Freshman
13

Second 13-
Sophomore
Year 14
High school (Secondary)
14-
Third Year Junior
15

15-
Fourth Year Senior
16

The start of the twenty-first century's second decade saw a major

improvement in the Philippine education system.
In 2011, the Department of Education started to implement the new
K-12 educational system, which also included a new curriculum for all
schools nationwide. The K-12 program has a so-called "phased
implementation", which started in S.Y 2011-2012.

Enrollment figures

School year Kindergarten Elementary High school

2012-2013 1,773,505 13,259,489 5,641,898

2013-2014 2,213,973 14,523,353 7,127,475

‹ Rankings and League TablesupIssues Regarding the Educational

System ›
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 Education in the Faroe Islands
 Education in the Federated States of Micronesia
 Education in the Gambia
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 Education in the Palestinian Territories
 Education in the Philippines
o Alternative Learning Systems
o Education in the Philippines During the American Rule
o Formal Education
o Higher Education in the Philippines
o History of Education in the Philippines
o Issues Regarding the Educational System
 Education in the Republic of Ireland
 Education in the Republic of Macedonia
 Education in the Republic of the Congo
 Education in the United Arab Emirates
 Education in the United Kingdom
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