This PowerPoint Presentation talks about the historical events of curriculum Development during the Philippine history.

1. Historical
background of
curriculum in the
Philippines

2. The educational system of the Philippines has a
long and complicated history. Probably
the first comprehensive research conducted
dealing with the supposed medium language of
teaching was accomplished by Andrew Gonzalez
(1992, 1998), who also discussed the educational
system of the Philippines and its historical
aspects, together with the interlocking
conflicts and resulting problems of higher
education in the Philippines

3. Curriculum policies, such as the 1987
Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines
Article XIV, are usually set forth by the
Department of Education, Culture and Sports of
the Philippines with different bulletins, circulars,
memoranda, orders and plans.

4. In ancient Philippines, children were given the
rudiments of education. Such education was both
academic and vocation. The father trained his
sons to be warriors, hunters, fishermen, miners,
lumbermen and ship builders. The mother on her
part trained her daughters in cooking, gardening,
serving and other household arts.

5. It is said that in ancient
Panay, there was a
barangay school called
Bothoan under the charge
of the teacher usually an
old man. The subjects
taught to the children in
this barangay school were
reading, writing,
arithmetic, use of weapons
and lubus (acquiring
kinaadman or amulets).
Hence, education during
that time was geared
toward their needs.
Because of colonization by
several foreign countries
and several historical
events, our education
underwent several changes
although we also retained
some of the ancient
teachings which are
practical even during our
time.

6. With the country’s celebration
of independence in 1946,
scarcely seven decades ago,
have come every aspect of
educational system in line
with the new status of a new
nation seeking to achieve and
maintain political and
economic independence and
to fashion a nation truly
united out of social and
cultural diversities.

7. Introduction of the
Western or European
System of Education
• With the coming of Spain, the
European system of education
was introduced to the
archipelago. Primary schools,
colleges and universities were
established in our country by
the missionaries.
• The principal aim of Spain in
the Philippines during their
regime was to make the native
Filipinos obedient and God-
fearing Christians.
• For this reason, religion was a
compulsory subject at all
levels – from the primary
schools to the universities.
• The first schools were the
parochial schools opened by
the missionaries in their
parishes. In addition to
religion, the native children in
these schools were taught
reading, writing, arithmetic
and some vocational and
practical arts subjects.

8. Later on, colleges for boys
and girls were opened by the
missionaries. These colleges
were the equivalent of our
high schools today. The
subjects taught to the
students included history,
Latin, geography,
mathematics and philosophy.
There was no co-education
during the Spanish times.
Boys and girls studied in
separate schools.
University education was
started in the Philippines
during the early part of the
17th century. Originally, the
colleges and universities
were open only to the
Spaniards and those with
Spanish blood (mestizos). It
was only during the 19th
century that these
universities began accepting
native Filipinos.

9. It is interesting to note that for nearly 300
years, education in the Philippines was the
primary responsibility of the Catholic
Church. The missionaries established the
schools, provided the teachers and facilities
and decided what should be taught. It was
only in the last half of the 19th century that
the government took an active part in
promoting education in the colony. In 1863,
a royal decree called for the establishment of
a public school system in the colony.

11. The United States had a
different approach dictated
by what the Americans
considered to be their
principal goal in coming to
the Philippines – “to
educate and to train in the
science of self-
government.”
Consequently, it was not
surprising that the United
States considered educating the
Filipinos as one of its top
priorities in the Philippines.
Even while US troops were
consolidating their foothold in
Manila in 1898, schools were
already opened in the city. But
unlike the Spaniards who
neglected to propagate their
language, the Americans made
it a point to teach English to
the Filipinos. The American
soldiers were the first teachers
of the Filipinos.

12. In January 1901, free primary
education was provided and a
school for Filipino teachers
was established. It called for
the recruitment of trained
teachers in America. It
abolished compulsory religious
instruction.
The Americans gave bright
young Filipino students
opportunity to take up higher
education in American colleges
and universities.
These Filipinos came to be
known as “pensionados” for
their education in the United
States was financed by the
government in the Philippines.
Hundreds of Filipino
pensionados were able to study
in the US until 1928. From the
ranks of these pensionados
came the future civic, business
and political leaders of our
country. Hungry for education,
the Filipinos flocked to public
and private schools in large
numbers.

14. Education continued to receive
from the Commonwealth
government the same attention
that the Americans gave it.
President Quezon created the
National Council of Education
in 1936 as an advisory body on
educational matters. The
council made important
recommendations to further
improve the educational system
in the Philippines. Most of
these recommendations were
accepted and carried out by the
government.
Education continued to receive
from the Commonwealth
government the same attention
that the Americans gave it.
President Quezon created the
National Council of Education
in 1936 as an advisory body on
educational matters. The
council made important
recommendations to further
improve the educational
system in the Philippines. Most
of these recommendations
were accepted and carried out
by the government.

15. And to help strengthen the
moral fibers of the Filipinos
and to foster love of country
especially among the youth,
President Quezon issued his
famous Code of Ethics
which was required to be
taught in all schools.
In 1940, several changes
were made in the Philippine
educational system by virtue
of the Educational Act of
1940. Under this law, the
elementary course was
reduced from 7 years to 6
years. The minimum age for
admission to Grade I was
raised to 7. The school
calendar was also changed
so instead of the school year
from June to March, it was
changed to July to April.

17. Schools and churches were also used as
propaganda tools of the Japanese. Nippon-go, the
Japanese language, was made a compulsory
subject in all schools. In government and private
offices, classes in Nippon-go were opened to
propagate the Japanese language and culture.
Japanese Catholic priests were sent to the
Philippines to help promote the idea that Japan,
being an Asian country, was a friend of all Asian
people’s including the Filipinos.

19. In 1948. Dr. Jose V. Aguilar,
the Superintendent of the Iloilo
school division initiated a six
year experiment with
vernacular instruction in his
school division. The
experiment involved seven
control schools where English
was used as the medium of
instruction in Grades 1 and 2
and seven experimental
schools where the vernacular,
Hiligaynon, was used as the
instructional medium.
This was controversial. As late
as 1963, the Dean of the
College of Education, Xavier
University on the island of
Mindanao, observed that the
vernacular instruction was not
producing maximum results. It
was curtailing full instructional
benefit. Instead of narrowing
the regional gaps of the
country, it was widening it and
was producing dangerous
trends towards regional and
cultural imbalance.

20. Educational Thrust of the
New Society and Today

21. It was assumed that the most fundamental
objective of education is the development of an
individual’s potential which will simultaneously
improve society. Educational policies have been
geared to the accomplishment of better
manpower production through the understanding
by the students of land reform, taxation,
economic production, anti-drug and anti-
pollution and conservation education.

22. To accomplish these goals, the value and
work oriented curricula were encouraged.
However, many parents and teachers were
still confused because they did not understand
the philosophy, operations, and evaluations of
this innovation in education. The concept of
an average layman or teacher in the “new
society” was always associated with the
advent of Martial Law.

23. This must be redirected to a functional definition
of wholesome integration of our economic,
social and moral lives for a progressive
Philippines. The direction of education as
envisioned by our educators can be best
described by the following changes:

24. 1. A relevant and flexible
curriculum. Educational
content is focused on the need
of society which is for sound
economy. This means better
knowledge in skills and food
production, conservation of
natural resources, technical
knowledge in harnessing
mineral deposits and less
emphasis on white collar jobs
which result only in producing
the “educated unemployed.”
2. Productive-coordinated
technocrats. The inevitable
reorganization of the
Department of Education
(DepEd) was a response to
these needs. For centuries, our
educational system generally
operated on a system of
isolation where the Bureau of
Public, Private and Vocational
Education worked almost
independently and promoted
secrecy and privacy instead of
attaining harmony for the good
of our country.

25. 3. A quality teacher with effective methods of teaching. To
teach effectively, the teacher must have the solid
foundations in terms of educational training from
reputable institutions, update his method of teaching by
reading and attending conferences, and should have the
courage of trying out various means or ways of
maximizing learner. To do this, it becomes necessary to
understand the psychology of pupils and to be able to
communicate with them in teaching-learning situations.
The increase in teachers’ pay should be a strong
justification for the better policy on the recruitment and
retention of teachers.

26. Every time changes in our educational system
occur to search for the solution for our
educational ills, some pressure groups interfere
and say it is “unrealistic and expensive,” which
is not a valid reason. Courage and energy for
action should be sustained to invigorate the lives
of the citizenry. After four centuries and a half of
being a colony of Spain, America and Japan, the
concern of the Filipino educators and policy
makers is the Filipinization of the Filipinos and
Filipino institutions.