LET’S TALK

ABOUT
Education during
the
American
JOANA M. DEColonial
VERA
Discussant
Period
Philippine Education
during the American
Period
 Education During American Colonial Period

Introduction
During the United States colonial period of
the Philippines (1898-1946), the United States
government was in charge of providing education
in the Philippines.
 Introduction
Education became a very important issue
for the United States colonial government,
since it allowed it to spread their cultural
values, particularly the English language, to the
Filipino people. Instruction in English language,
and American history, lead to forming of a
national identity and Filipino nationalism.
 Educational System
Act. No 74 established the Public primary
school in 1901 and intermediate school in 1904
which provides free public education.

Act. No 372 required all provinces to

maintain a provincial high school.
 Educational System
Every child from age 7 was required to register in
schools located in their own town or province. The students
were given free school materials. There were three levels of
education during the American period. The "elementary" level
consisted of four primary years and 3 intermediate years. The
"secondary" or high school level consisted of four years; and
the third was the "college" or tertiary level. Religion was not
part of the curriculum of the schools. as it had been during
the Spanish period.
 Educational System
In some cases those students who excelled
academically were sent to the U.S. to continue their studies
and to become experts in their desired fields or professions.
They were called "scholars", and "pensionados" because the
government covered all their expenses. In return, they were
to teach or work in government offices after they finished
their studies. Some examples of these successful Filipino
scholars were Judge José Abad Santos, Francisco Benitez,
Dr. Honoria Sison and Francisco Delgado.
 Educational System
Many elementary and secondary schools from the Spanish era were recycled
and new ones were opened in cities and provinces, among which there were normal,
vocational, agricultural, and business schools. Among the most important colleges during
United States rule were: Philippine Normal School in 1901 ( Philippine Normal University)
PNU was founded to train teachers and other normal schools throughout the country
such as Silliman University (1901), Central Philippine University (1905), Negros Oriental
High School (1902),St. Paul University Dumaguete (1904), Cebu Normal School (1915) also
a university at present, Filamer Christian University (1904), Iloilo Normal School in 1902
(now West Visayas State University) and Zamboanga Normal School in 1904 (now
Western Mindanao State University) ; National University (1901); University of Manila
(1914); Philippine Women's University (1919); and Far Eastern University (1933).
Examples of vocational schools are: the Philippine Nautical School, Philippine School of
Arts and Trades (1901, now Technological University of the Philippines) and the Central
Luzon Agriculture School. The University of the Philippines was also founded in 1908.
 The Thomasites
Volunteer American soldiers became the first teachers of the
Filipinos. Part of their mission was to build classrooms in every place where
they were assigned. The American soldiers stopped teaching only when a
group of teachers from the U.S. came to the Philippines in June 1901. They
came aboard the ship "Sheridan." In August 1901, 600 teachers called
Thomasites arrived. Their name derived from the ship they traveled on, the
USS Thomas.
The original batch of Thomasites was composed by 365 males and 165
females, who sailed from United States on July 23, 1901. The U.S.
government spent about $105,000 for the expedition. More American
teachers followed the Thomasites in 1902, making a total of about 1,074
stationed in the Philippines.
 Monroe
Commission on
Philippine
 Monroe Commission on Philippine Education
The Monroe Commission on Philippine Education was created in
1925 with the aim of reporting on the effectiveness of the education in
the Philippines during the period of U.S. annexation. It was headed by Paul
Monroe, who at the time was the Director of the International Institute
of Teachers College, Columbia University, and it was composed by a total
of 23 education professionals, mostly from the U.S. and some from the
Philippines. During 1925 the Commission visited schools all throughout the
Philippines, interviewing a total of 32,000 pupils and 1,077 teachers. The
commission found that in the 24 years since the U.S. education system had
been established, 530,000 Filipinos had completed elementary school,
160,000 intermediate school, and 15,500 high school.
 Monroe Commission on Philippine Education
The Commission declared that although Filipino students were on
the same level as their American counterparts in subjects like Math or
Science, they lagged far behind in English-language related subjects.
George Counts, a Yale professor and a member of the Commission wrote on
1925 in The Elementary School Journal that "Half of the children were
outside the reach of schools. Pupil performance was generally low in
subjects that relied on English, although the achievement in Math and
Science was at par with the average performance of American school
children..." Counts also described the Filipino children of the 1920s as
handicapped because not only were they trying to learn new concepts in a
foreign language but they were also being forced to do so from the point
of view of a different culture, due to the fact that they were using
materials originally designed for pupils in the United States.
 Monroe Commission on Philippine Education

The report also informed that teacher training was inadequate

and that 82 per cent of the pupils did not go beyond grade 4. Many of the
problems identified were attributed to the attempt to impose an English-
based education system in just one generation, concluding that "Upon
leaving school, more than 99% of Filipinos will not speak English in their
homes. Possibly, only 10% to 15% of the next generation will be able to use
this language in their occupations. In fact, it will only be the government
employees, and the professionals, who might make use of English."
 Monroe Commission on Philippine Education

Other recommendations of the Commission asking for a

"curtailment of the type of industrial work found on schools" and the
elimination of the General Sales Department that had been set up to
distribute the sale of items made in schools, pushed the implementation of
several changes in the educational system to try to prioritize on the
instruction of the pupils to be taught over the teaching of "industrial"
education that until then had been focusing on the production of
handicrafts such as basketry for boys and embroidery for girls, farming
techniques, and other skills deemed favorable for the future of the pupils.
 Education System During the American Period with Regards to the
Four Pillars of Education
Learning to Know Learning to Do Learning to live together Learning to Be
-Education is free for -Education gives -Education emphasize on -Education in this
all. importance to technical democracy and period include
-Education is a means and vocational skills. importance of people induction of good
of giving people an participation in decision manners and right
orientation towards making. conduct.
the democracy
-Teaching English
language
-Emphasize the 3R’s
(Reading, Writing and
Arithmetic)
 LET’S TALK
ABOUT
Education during
the
Japanese
JOANA M. DEColonial
VERA
Discussant
Period
Philippine Education
during the Japanese
Colonial Period
Brief History
 Educational System

Japanese Devised Curriculum caused a blackout in the

Philippine education and impeded the educational
progress
They introduced many changes in the curriculum by
including Nihongo and abolishing English as a medium of
instruction and as a subject
All textbooks were censored and revised
 Curriculum
 School Calendar became longer
 No summer vacation for students
 Class size increased to 60
 Deleted anti-Asian opinions, banned the singing of American
songs, deleted American symbols, poems and pictures
 Nihongo as a means of introducing and cultivation love for
Japanese culture
 Under the Japanese regime, the teaching of Tagalog,
Philippine History, and Character Education was reserved for
Filipinos
 Educational Program
 June 1942, Military Order No. 2- mandated the teaching of Tagalog, Philippine
History and Character education to Filipino students, with emphasis on love for
work and dignity of labor
 Re- opening of elementary schools in June 1942 with 300, 000 students
 Re- opening of vocational and normal schools
 Institutions of higher learning giving courses in agriculture, medicine, fisheries
and engineering
 Japanese language is popularized to terminate the use of English
 Filipino children went to school to learn Japanese songs and games
 There was a strict censorship of textbooks and other learning materials
 The teachers were to become condescending mouthpieces of Japanese
propaganda
 Six Basic Principles of Japanese Education

1.Realization of new order and promote friendly relations

between Japan and the Philippines to the farthest extent
2.Foster a new Filipino culture based
3.Endeavor to elevate the morals of people, giving up over
emphasis of materialism
4.Diffusion of the Japanese language in the Philippines
5.Promotion of vocational course
6.To inspire people with the spirit to love neighbor
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF INSTRUCTION
 TriFocal System

1.Department of Education, Culture and Sports

(DECS) – elementary, secondary and non-formal
education, including sports
2.Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA) – post-secondary , middle -
level manpower training development
3.Commission on Higher Education (CHED) – Higher
Education
 Education System During the Japanese Period with
Regards to the Four Pillars of Education
Learning to Learning to Learning to live Learning to Be
Know Do together
-Learning and -The Curriculum -Orient Filipino that -education elevates
adaptation of promoted the Philippines is a the morality of the
Nihongo vocational skills. member of the Greater people.
East Asia Co-Prosperity
Sphere.
-Importance of -Education
Basic Education emphasizes love
through elementary of work. -Education aims to
education. foster new Filipino
Culture based on self-
consciousness of the
people as orientals.
 Japanese Colonial Period Summary

 Educational aims Methods of Education

 Eradicate old idea of reliance
on western nations
 Love of labor
 Military Training
 Stressed dignity of manual labor
 Emphasis vocational education
Medium of Instruction
 Nihongo

Education Types
 Nihongo language
 Vocational training
 Health education agriculture
Thank
You!