Forecasting Philippine Educational System
As early as pre-Spanish times, education was informal, unstructured and devoid of method. Children were provided more vocational training and less academics by their parents or their tribal tutors. Major changes in the educational systems happened during the Spanish colonization. The tribal tutors were replaced by the Spanish missionaries and education was religion-oriented. Education was for the elite. In 1863, an Educational Decree was re-enacted to liberalize the Filipinos’ access to education wherein at least one primary school for boys and girls each town is established under the municipal government. It was free and the teaching of Spanish language was compulsory. Education then was inadequate,
suppressed and controlled. When the Spaniards were defeated, the school maintained by Spain for more than three centuries were closed for the time being but were re-opened on August 29, 1898. The Malolos Constitution established a system of free and compulsory elementary education. In college, the Burgos Institute and the Military Academy of Malolos as well as the literary University of the Philippines were established. During that first decade of American rulings, an adequate secularized and free public school system was established upon the recommendation of the Schuman Commission. Primary instruction is free, training people for the duties of citizenship and avocation was enforced by the Taft Commission and officers, as instructed by President William McKinley. Chaplains and non-commissioned officers were assigned to teach using English as the medium of instruction. In 1901, a highly centralized public school system, was installed by the Philippine Commission. The implementation of this Act created heavy shortage of teachers so the Philippine Commission authorized the Secretary of Public
Instruction to bring to the Philippines more than 1,000 teachers called Thomasites to establish barangay schools. High School system then supported by provincial governments. More colleges and special education institutions were established , for arts and trades, agriculture, commerce and marine. The University of the Philippines was also established. Filipinization of all department secretaries except the
Secretary of Public Instruction was also organized. By this time the number of enrolment in elementary school alone reaches a total of about 1,000,000 from 150,000 students in 1901. When the Philippines was colonized by the Japanese in October 1943, the teaching of Tagalog, Philippine History, and Character Education was reserved for Filipinos. They also emphasized love for work and dignity of labor. It was after World War II that the Department of Instruction was changed to Department of Education in 1947. It was then that the regulation and supervision of public schools belonged to the Bureau of Public and Private Schools. During the time of Marcos Presidency, in 1972, the Department of Education became the Department of Education and Culture. The education then has three fundamental aims, those of which were : love of the country, teaching the duties of citizenship and developing moral character, self-discipline and scientific, technological and vocational efficiency. It was also during this time that the Department was centralized with decision-making shared among thirteen regional offices and the department’s name was changed to the Ministry of Education and Culture. In 1982, the Education Act of 1982 provided for an integrated system of education covering formal and non-formal education at all levels. There were educational upgrading of the institution’s standards to achieve quality education through voluntary accreditation for schools, colleges and universities, as well as
upgrading the obligations and qualifications of teachers and administrators. Government financial assistance to private schools was also provided. In 1988, Public Secondary Education was made free. Students ages 1525 may be employed 4ruing summer or Christmas vacation with a salary not lower than the minimum wage wherein, 60% will be paid by the employer and 40% by the government. It was also in 1988 that the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) was established. DECS was divided into three parts in 1994 creating CHED, assuming the functions of the Bureau of Higher Education and supervises tertiary degree programs and TESDA, absorbing the Bureau of Technical-Vocational Education and the National Manpower and Youth Council, as well as supervising
non-degree technical-vocational programs. DECS was responsible for all elementary and secondary education in the country. The Government of Basic Education Act of august 2001 was passed transforming DECS to DepEd (Department of Education). There was also redefinition of role of the field offices (regional, division, district and local school offices). RA 9155 provides the overall framer work for school head, empowerment by strengthening their leadership roles and school-based and local accountability.
management within the context of transparency
Today the goal of basic education is to provide the school age population and young adults with skills, knowledge and values to become caring, self-reliant, productive and patriotic citizens. The future educational systems might have a better view if we are going to look at the past, the system is getting better and better. Form the early times, practical vocation was instilled to the young minds. Nowadays, it was being taught in subjects such as T.L.E. and Science. In the public schools we are using Manila paper or other low cost visual aids. In the future the use of hightech visual aids like computer-aided projects can be realized. The us of
multimedia in learning is expansive but can become a reality I the government NGO’s, the community and foreign assistance can be given. Time is gold as we have said, a few schools in the Philippines are using video conferencing to be able to become time-wise. Students can study and answer to problems and examinations while working (can be applied to college students). In other countries, they can get their diplomas after finishing the unites required, without having to wait for the end of the year of a few years to graduate. Instruction can be made available to those hard to reach areas of the country with the use of computers (such as those requiring mountain hiking or island hopping to be able to reach). Students of Physical Education, especially in small schools were
sometimes lacking of physical facilities, thus something should be done to facilitate the importance of physical education that will lead to sports development in the country. Skills and talent can be both inborn and acquired from the environment. Since we are now school-based, requiring every school to have an adequate sports development program should be done. And in the future, who knows, we might have discovered the future, we might have discovered the ones who can give us gold medals in the Olympics.
Forecasting the State of Physical Education in Dela Carese Montessori As a P.E. teacher, there are a lot of things that I would like to improve with our school’s sports program. Since I started as a coach five years ago, only a few students, probably more than a hundred and still growing. The
students were having difficulty because there are no equipment or tools, to use like basketball and volleyball, rackets and shuttlecocks, the ring board was already rotten and only the high, grassy, small yard can be run into by track and field athletes. There was even no javelins, shot-put or discus for throwing events.
The teachers were made the coaches even if they don’t’ know anything about the sports they are handling. Looking to that side, it seems hopeless to think of any condition. But as an athlete myself, students has great potentials and it would be a great loss not to hone such talents. So I decided to try whatever I can for the varsity teams. I first handled the athletics (track and field team), boys and girls. Since there are no equipment or field (oval to use), I let the athletes roam around the subdivision to be able to practice running. I did some improvised tools to be able to practice with e throwing events like instead of using shot-puts, we used heavy rocks (which effective for being used to heavy lifting make their throw farther on lighter ones). And we did well that first years, having won 16 medals in all. As the years goes by, I have also slowly take time to ask our school administration about the tools needed and the education required for coaches to know the rules and gain knowledge on different sports discipline. Thus, we ere able to attend a lot of seminars and trainings for coaches and officials, enabling our school to improve in sports. Facilities were now being established even to other sports discipline and the sports program was even instilled with our P.E. subjects. Thus, students were motivated and developed in sports. In the coming years, a new trace and field oval will be opened at the back of the school facilities. There will also be licensed coaches to train athletes that is upon the approval of the budget, probably next year. With other subjects, the teachers are required to participate extensions programs and continue their masteral studies tot their doctorate through a study now pay later loan program which will develop the knowledge and skills and uplift the professional status of the teachers and staff.