The state of Public School Education in the Philippines has long been identified as deteriorating. From an educational system that produced many brilliant minds, public schools in the Philippines now suffer the reputation of substandard education and jam-packed classrooms not conducive to learning. The government is primarily responsible for the upkeep of these schools. Are there measures being done to address these concerns?

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History of Philippine Education

Even before the Spanish came to the Philippines, early Filipinos already had an existing educational system although it did not have a clear structure. Nevertheless, the Spaniards acknowledged the fact that the literacy rate among Filipinos at that time was already high. This is specifically in relation to the country’s own indigenous system.

Spanish missionary teachers practically took over the job of existing tribal teachers as formal education focusing mainly on the religious aspect was instituted. Parochial schools were established all over the country to teach catechism, reading, and writing. Although there was a decree that mandated free primary education in every town, basic education was not deemed sufficient due to lack in school buildings and equipment as well as strict friar control over teachers and schools as a whole. Education under Spanish rule left a legacy through private educational institutions such as University of Santo Tomas and Colegio de San Juan de Letran, among many.

History of Public School Education in the Philippines

Under American rule, Filipinos were introduced to the free secular public school system fashioned after the educational system in the US. The public school system was established in 1901 under Act No. 74. One thousand American teachers called the Thomasites came to teach the Filipinos while teachers were being trained in the Normal School. The training in English language and literature, geography, mathematics, principles of education, teaching methods, and educational psychology led to the so-called Americanization of the country with subjects pertaining to the study of US history and values incorporated in the curriculum.

Many Filipinos still preferred a Catholic private education thus Catholic schools continued to flourish. At that time, the elite already preferred the private educational system which is not very different from the existing scenario. Public schools however produced many brilliant minded Filipinos who helped shaped the country’s history. This was the time that studying in public schools was not considered “inferior” to studying in private schools.

Public School Education in the Philippines Today

Sadly, developing brilliant minds among students studying in public schools today has become more difficult, if not almost impossible. For the purposes of this article, our reference to public schools will  not include the “prestigious” specialized public schools such as the Science High Schools where even the moneyed lot fight to be accepted in. The usual picture of a public school is an educational institution beset with the perennial problems of poor and lacking facilities, large class sizes, and an over-all deteriorating quality of education.

It doesn’t help at all that many middle-class families have no choice but to transfer their children to public schools as it has become more financially difficult to support private school education. Many excellent public school teachers are also being lured to transfer to higher paying jobs because of economic realities. The existing system is not able to produce a conducive environment that encourages real learning to give students the desired competitive edge.

My Say

The quality of education which a person has access to, will determine the level of his educational capabilities and his career opportunities as well. The responsibility of the Philippine government to provide ways of accessing quality education exists and it will be naive of me to say that it can wave a magic wand to make everything right. I am just thinking if the public school system can produce quality schools such as the University of the Philippines and Philippine Science High School, is it such an impossibility to extend the same benefit to other public educational institutions?