3) Philippine Education History (America)

• During the American Occupation in the Philippines, changes in the educational landscape included:

  • Using education for the "Benevolent Assimilation Program" to assist Filipinos to be self-sufficient
  • American soldiers, known as Thomasites, were the first teachers
  • Restoration of damaged school houses and construction of new ones
  • Infusion of democratic concepts, progress, equality, and fair play
  • Disregard of religious bias through the Educational Act of 1901, which separated Church and State in Education
  • Encouragement for Filipinos to enter the teaching field
  • Sending outstanding Filipino scholars to the US to train as teachers
• The American curriculum during the American Occupation in the Philippines included:

  • Primary Education Curriculum (Grades 1-4): GMRC, Civics, Hygiene and Sanitation, Geography
  • Intermediate Curriculum (Grades 5-7): Grammar and Composition, Reading and Spelling, Science Courses, Physiology, Hygiene and Sanitation, Intensive Teaching of Geography
• Levels of Education during the American Occupation in the Philippines:

  • First Level: Four-year primary and three-year intermediate or seven-year elementary school
  • Second Level: Four-year high school
  • Third Level: Two-year Junior college and a four-year program
• Legal Bases during the American Occupation in the Philippines:

  • Education Act of 1901 (Act No. 74): Establishment of public schools and the arrival of 60 teachers from the USA known as Thomasites
  • Section 17: Establishment of the Philippine Normal College (Now PNU)
  • Act No. 477: Transformation of the Bureau of Public Instruction into the Bureau of Education
  • Act No. 1870: Creation of UP (University of the Philippines)
• During the Philippine Commonwealth period, the educational focus was on developing moral character, personal discipline, civic conscience, and vocational efficiency, emphasizing the duties of citizenship and educating adults
• Legal Bases during the Philippine Commonwealth period:

  • Executive Order No. 134 in 1936: Designation of Tagalog as the basis of the national language
  • Education Act of 1940: Introducing 6-7 years of elementary education, compulsory attendance of primary children in Grade 1, and national support for elementary education