Filipinos' love for learning
Across social classes, a consistent and common dream of Filpino parents is for their children to finish schooling. And this love for education isn’t entirely new. Since pre-Hispanic times, Filipinos have shown a keen interest in learning.
Back then, education was informal and decentralized due to the structure of society. Children had to learn the skills needed for survival and traditions and beliefs. Older relatives were the teachers and the young ones were considered apprentices.
Bear in mind that Filipinos back then had already established their own civilizations and societies, as evidenced by systems of governance and religions. It wasn’t the complete picture of savagery that the country’s future colonizers made it out to be.
During the Spanish colonial times, despite popular belief that only the richest could afford education, schooling was actually accessible to the general public. To understand this, we must look at the Cadiz Constitution.
On March 19, 1812, a constitution was drafted in the Spanish port of Cadiz. Initially, this was supposed to be a framework of governance for the Spanish empire, including its colonies.
The constitution was considered liberal for its times as it included tenets on freedom of the press, national sovereignty, and even voting privileges for the males. Chapter 9 of the constitution stated that even the smallest towns in all colonies should have a school that would teach basic literacy, arithmetic, and catechism.
The constitution had then undergone a series of abolitions and reinstitutions, following a tumultuous succession in the Spanish monarchy.
However, the intent to educate the colonies did not dissipate. In 1857, there came the Act for Public Instruction or the Moyano Act (named after the minister of development Claudio Moyano), which aimed to solve the high illiteracy rate of the Spanish empire during that time. With this, primary education or three grades were compulsory for both boys and girls. This was free for kids up to the age of nine who could not afford it.
The act also established six years of secondary education, as well as a normal school (Escuela Normal Elemental) to train teachers in provincial capitals.
Because of bureaucracy, Filipinos waited until 1863 for its implementation, after Queen Isabella II signed the act. After this, it was mandated that there should be at least one primary school for children in each town. Primary schooling then became free and available regardless of race, sex, or social class.
Of course, there existed problems in its implementation such as discrimination within the classroom, as stated by Jose Rizal himself in his writings. Friars were constantly telling Filipino students that they had inferior intelligence and they were only good for manual labor. Another common criticism was also that there was an overemphasis on the teaching of religion.
Ironically, it was the friars who were largely responsible for education, the primary instruction of which was Spanish. They were the very same people who were opposed to teaching their language to Filipinos, for fear that this will lead to enlightenment and rebellion.
However, despite their best efforts to keep Filipinos in the dark, the illustrados and the rebels prevailed. By 1866, the proportion of literate people in the Philippines was higher than in Spain. The proportion of Filipino children attending school was also above average in European standards.
So maybe education was a risk, but only to the oppressors. When Filipinos came to claim their independence from Spain, the Malolos Congress had over a hundred deputies, many of whom were lawyers (40), doctors (16), pharmacists, engineers, priests, and entrepreneurs.
Education to please the colonizers
Under the rule of the United States, children seven years of age were required to register in schools in their respective towns. They were given free school materials too. There were three levels of education: seven years of elementary school, four years of secondary or high school, and college or tertiary education. Religion was not mandatory as they had also built schools in non-Christian provinces in Mindanao and the Mountain Province area.
American teachers also came to the Philippines, the most famous of whom were dubbed the Thomasites. It was said that the U.S. government spent about $105,000 on these expeditions. Part of the mission of the Thomasites is to build the school themselves, especially in areas that did not previously have schools.
Aside from teachers, the U.S. also spent money on Filipino scholars under the Pensionado Act. This was a program that encouraged Filipino scholars to study in the U.S. Those chosen to participate were the ones seen to have leadership potential in preparation for a liberated Philippines.
read more
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/old-school-photos-philippines-a1729-20200617-lfrm5
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