When the Dominicans arrived in 1587, they did the same thing in their first mission in Bataan. In 1908, the University of the Philippines was chartered, representing the first comprehensive public university in the nation’s history. France was the first country in the world to create a system of mass, public education in 1833. With the coming of Spain, the European system of education was introduced to the archipelago. Although the free and compulsory elementary education system was temporarily reestablished by the Malolos Constitution, it was finally dismantled after the Philippine-American War, that also took a heavy toll upon the remaining educational infrastructures. Considering the Philippines are deeply rooted Spanish influence. Optional subjects include music, arts, physical education, and health. Not surprisingly, students who hail from Philippine urban areas tend to score much higher in subjects such as mathematics and science than students in the more rural areas of the country. As a result, the average American at the time was less educated than the average Filipino, something that was specially true among the troops that fought in the Philippine-American War, since most of the soldiers generally were of humble social origins. The Spanish missionaries established schools immediately on reaching the islands and wherever they penetrated, church and school went together. The oldest universities, colleges, vocational schools and the first modern public education system in Asia were created during the colonial period. In the Philippines, the academic school year begins in June and concludes in March, a period that covers a total of 40 weeks. King Philip II's Leyes de Indias (Laws of the Indies) mandated Spanish authorities in the Philippines to educate the natives, to teach them how to read and write and to learn Spanish. It also commended the creation of a free public normal school to train men as teachers, supervised by the Jesuits. After primary school, however, the language of instruction is almost always English, especially in the country’s urban areas and at most of the nation’s universities. Although students who opt to study at one of the country’s vocational secondary schools are still required to take and pass many of the same core academic subjects, they are also exposed to a greater concentration of technical and vocational subjects. Admission to public schools is typically automatic for those students who have successfully completed six years of primary education. The Philippines’ Professional Regulation Commission regulates programs for 38 different professions and administers their respective licensure examinations. In most communities, stories, songs, poetry, dances, medicinal practices and advice regarding all sorts of community life issues were passed from generation to generation mostly through oral tradition. Certain bachelor degree programs take five years rather than four years to complete, including programs in agriculture, pharmacy and engineering. Spanish education for the Filipinos was designed to convert them to Catholicism and then to maintain them in that faith. The Dominicans on their part had the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán (1620) in Manila. The Observatory published typhoon and climatological observations and studies, including the first typhoon warnings, a service that was highly appreciated by the business community, specially those involved in merchant shipping. End of Spanish rule in the Philippines. In 1995, legislation was enacted that provided for the transfer of supervision of all non-degree technical and vocational education programs from the Bureau of Vocational Education, also under the control of the Department of Education, to a new and independent agency now known as the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). Chirino at once put up a dormitory and school house (1593-1594) for the Spanish boys near his rectory. Augustinian Friar Juan Zita and civic leader Don Felino Gil established the vocational school on November 4, 1861. The University of Santo Tomás, for example, started by teaching theology, philosophy and humanities. King Philip II's Leyes de Indias (Laws of the Indies) mandated Spanish authorities in the Philippines to educate the natives, to teach them how to read and write and to learn Spanish. Higher education institutions can apply for volunteer accreditation through CHED—a system modeled after the regional accreditation system used in the United States. Today’s system has been shaped by the Philippines’ colonial and post-war history. During the third and fourth years they must specialize in a particular discipline within that general vocational area. In addition, a study conducted by Sahn et al. Master degrees in the Philippines typically span two years for full-time students, culminating with a minor thesis or comprehensive examination. The first two years are typically dedicated to the study of general education courses (63 credits), with all classes counting towards the major the student will undertake in the final two years. In a perfect world, this type of construction would consist of modes of integrative teaching that will allow students to process and synthesize a wide variety of skills and values (cultural, vocational, aesthetic, economic, political and ethical). In 1863, some 342 years after Magellan first arrived in the Philippine islands, Spain promulgated the Education Decree, stipulating compulsory primary education in the Philippines. The Black Legend propagation, black propaganda and yellow journalism were rampant in the last two decades of Spanish Colonial Period and throughout the American Colonial Period. The goal of the book was to propagate the Christian teachings around Manila. Philippines - Philippines - The Spanish period: Spanish colonial motives were not, however, strictly commercial. Students who fail to earn a rating of 75 percent in any given subject must repeat that subject, although in most cases they are permitted to enter the next grade. Below we will discuss the education system of the Philippines in great detail, including a description of both the primary and secondary education levels in the country, as well as the systems currently in place for vocational and university education. This is one of the shortest terms of formal education in the world. For a few hundred years in the Spanish territories, this has been the case. The Spanish government established a school for midwives in 1879, and Escuela Normal Superior de Maestras (Superior Normal School) for female teachers in 1892. Colegio de Santa Potenciana was the first school and college for girls that opened in the Philippines, in 1589. Among the subjects being taught to girls, as reflected in the curriculum of the Colegio de Santa Isabel, were Arithmetic, Drawing, Dress-cutting, French, Geology, Geography, Geometry, History of Spain, Music, Needlework, Philippine History, Physics, Reading, Sacred History and Spanish Grammar. From third grade through sixth grade, or the remainder of primary education, subjects such as mathematics and science are taught in English, with the social sciences and humanities courses taught in Pilipino. For instance, a student may take two years of general trade-technical courses, followed by two years specializing specifically in cabinet making. Aloysius Cartagenas STD, professor at the Seminario Mayor de San Carlos of Cebu, and Fr. The education system that were nurtured by indigenous groups for thousands of years were abolished by the Spanish. There are also 50 local universities, as well as a handful of government schools whose focus is on technical, vocational and teacher training. There was oral and written literature. The early friars learned the local languages and the Baybayin script to better communicate with the locals. According to the Department of Education, Makabayan is a learning area that serves as a practice environment for holistic learning; an area in which students develop a healthy personal and national self-identity. A version in Spanish, and in Filipino, in both Latin script and the commonly used Baybayin script of the Manila Tagalogs of the time was printed in 1593. A Nautical School was created on January 1, 1820 which offered a four-year course of study (for the profession of pilot of merchant marine) that included subjects such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, physics, hydrography, meteorology, navigation and pilotage. There are four levels of accreditation: The credit and degree structure of university education in the Philippines bears a striking resemblance to that of the United States. It was the first public university created by the Spanish government in the Philippines. Interested candidates who wish to pursue their education at one of the country’s post-secondary vocational schools must have at least a high school diploma and a Certificate of Graduation to qualify. Once a student has completed all four years of his/her secondary education, earning a 75 percent or better in all subjects, they are presented a secondary school graduation certificate. To calculate the percentage of children on scholar age, it must be taken into account the number of children in Elementary School age (ages 5 through 13) and teenagers in High School age (ages 14 through 17). up to the Filipinos to use them. These secondary schools tend to offer technical and vocational instruction in one of five major fields:  agriculture, fishery, trade/technical, home industry, and non-traditional courses with a host of specializations. One of these schools was the Escuela Normal Elemental, which, in 1896 became the Escuela Normal Superior de Maestros de Manila (Manila Ordinary School for Schoolmistresses). 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