Chapter V MODERNIZATION OF THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATIONAL

Nikolee Marie A. Serafico-Reyes, 2019 THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FRAMEWORK FOR THE STUDY OF SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM IN THE PHILIPPINES: A HISTORICAL-DESCRIPTIVE APPROACH Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu

Chapter V

MODERNIZATION OF THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

AND THE EMANCIPATION OF SOCIAL STUDIES IN THE BASIC

EDUCATION CURRICULUM

5.1 The Shift from Western Ideals to Oriental Ideology, 1941-1945

The Pacific War brought drastic changes in the Philippine Educational

landscape. The early challenges of establishing a republic as well as the preparation

for self-governance through education was impeded due to political expansion and

territorial ambitions. The Japanese came to conquer the Philippines through a

surprise attack of a nearby-military facility of the colonizing in December of 1941.

Their purpose does not control just politics and the economy during the war years

but also sought to make major cultural revisions to bring the country into the fold

of Asian nations. Cultural and education plans were promoted to remold the

Filipino's way of thinking (Jose, 1998).

In February 1942, the principles of basic education were outlined by the

Japanese military administration which also served as a tool for cultural campaigns.

Education should be reformed to:

1. make Filipinos understand the position of their country as a

member of the Co-Prosperity Sphere, make them know the

true meaning of the establishment of the New Order in the

sphere, and teach them the role of the Philippines should

play in it. Proper understanding would promote friendly

relations between Japan and the Philippines to the fullest

extent;

2. cut dependence on Western nations, particularly the U.S.

and Great Britain, and foster instead a New Filipino culture

based on the self-consciousness of the people as Orientals.

Western culture and values were discouraged.

3. raise the people’s morals, deemphasizing materialism;

4. spread the Japanese language and eventually end the use of

English;


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5. give importance to basic education and improve vocational

education;

6. inspire people with love and labor.

While these motives remain the essential goals of education for the

Japanese. It is quite pronounced that ‘language’ will play a vital element in

education. Thus, Tagalog was proclaimed as the country’s national language and

Nipongo the official language of Asia. The introduction of these two Asian

languages would hasten the Filipino’s cultural emancipation from the influence of

Americans (Javier, 1975).

In June and October of 1942, elementary and secondary schools were

reopened respectively. The curricula offered in both elementary and secondary

were revisions of the pre-war curricula. The old books were used but contents were

examined. Those containing ‘Western elements’ became censored materials. This

method somehow ensured that only materials favorable to Japanese intentions were

utilized (Fresnoza and Casim, 1964).

Education, in general, was inclined to be more nationalistic. The Japanese-

sponsored republic was inaugurated on October 14, 1943, and Jose P. Laurel was

sworn-in as President. In the inaugural address, education was highlighted:

In the upbuilding of the national character, the school, no less

than the home and the church, should play an important, if not

dominating role. Our educational system must be renovated and

due emphasis placed on the moral objective laid down in the

Constitution. The other aims decreed in the fundamental law like

the development of the personal and collective discipline, civic

conscience, vocational skill, and social efficiency, should be

subordinated to the cultivation of moral character as the

handmaiden of an intransigent nationalism. Character-

formation shall be the mainspring of all educational enterprise

born of a telling realization that scholarship destitute of

character is worthless, that religion deprived of morality is mere

fanatism, that patriotism devoid of honor is only a posture. We

can combat the evil of excessive materialism which we inherited

from the West only by a return to the spiritual ways of the East

where we rightfully belong (Laurel, Inaugural Address, 1943).


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Reforms were implemented like the reorganization of the Textbook

Examining Committee and the creation of a committee to prepare a Filipino Civic

Code for use as a textbook in the schools. The Code Committee was concerned

about the need to strengthen the Filipino’s sense of civic duty. Eventually, a draft

code was completed in 1944 but it never made it to the public because of the

situation in Manila.

5.2 Expansion of the Philippine Educational System and the Focus on a

Community-Based and Nationalistic Social Studies, 1946-1973

The war was never kind to the Philippines. After the atrocities, most of the

country’s institutions and facilities were also destroyed. Much of the Philippines’

resources needed reconstruction and the society needed rehabilitation. The

government was reinstated with the return of the Americans and ‘independence’

was granted on July 4, 1946.

The period from 1946 to 1972 could be seen as the Philippines rise from the

ashes. The succeeding administrations had undertaken the immense task of

rebuilding a war-torn nation with political, economic, and social problems besetting

the nation. Political problems involved rebuilding the government destroyed during

the war. Aside from the trust and confidence of the people, questions about the

integrity and capacity of the newly-installed government plagued the

administration. Economic problems were apparent due to the endured high-interest

loans under the guise of foreign aid. Likewise, society and infrastructures all lay in

rumbles. Rebuilding becomes a necessity and resilience a national value. Lastly,

issues about the collaborators posted serious moral and social difficulties where

opportunism and nationalism issue central concerns.

Nonetheless, given these predicaments, beginning with independence in

1946, the democratic and educational systems were already seeded. At least six

administrations covered from 1946-1972: Manuel Roxas, Elpidio Quirino, Ramon

Magsaysay, Carlos Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal, and Ferdinand Marcos. Within


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these periods continuity and changes occurred in the educational projects and

implementations.

In 1947, through Executive Order No. 94 of President Manuel Roxas,

amendments were made and the Department of Education became one of the eleven

executive departments. It shall perform its functions under the executive authority

of the Secretary of Education. The section under the Department of Education

(1947) states:

Changes in Names of Bureaus

SECTION 83. The Department of Instruction shall hereafter be known as

the Department of Education; the Bureau of Education as the Bureau of

Public Schools; the Office of Private Education as the Bureau of Private

Schools; and the National Library as the Bureau of Public Libraries.

SECTION 84. Section eighty-two of the Revised Administrative Code, as

amended, is hereby further amended to read as follows:

“SEC. 82. Bureaus and offices under the Department of Education. — The

Department of Education shall have executive supervision over the Bureau

of Public Schools, the Bureau of Private Schools, the Bureau of Public

Libraries, the Board on Textbooks, the Institute of National Language, and

the Philippines Historical Committee.”

The educational programs set forth by the Philippine Commonwealth were

implemented by the newly-established Philippine republic thus the continuity of

ideas and philosophy. In the elementary schools, expected outcomes among others

are to develop "useful, upright, and patriotic citizens" where the teaching of the

social studies acquires greater importance as a tool for effective citizenship training

(Commonwealth Act No. 586). The general objectives of the social studies in the

elementary schools are as follows:

1. To gain an understanding of how the different members of a

social group, such as the family, the school, the community,

the province, and the nation help one another; to develop the

habit of teamwork.

2. To develop correct habits and attitudes toward health.


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3. To understand how our people and the people of other nations

have come to adopt the ways of life that they now have.

4. To observe correct behavior toward other people and to

cultivate qualities of character that will promote social

welfare.

5. To develop a love of country and at the same time to

appreciate the good qualities of people from other lands.

(Bureau of Education, 1949)

A detailed statement of the 'expected outcomes and attainments' of the were

divided into knowledge, habits, and skills, and attitudes are shown in Table 5.1:

Table 5.1

Expected Outcomes and Attainments in Intermediate Social Studies, 1949

Expected Outcomes and Attainments

Knowledge a. Acquaintance with pre-Spanish social, political,

economic, commercial, cultural, and religious

conditions in the Philippines

b. Contributions by foreign nations to Philippine

progress in – commerce, economic conditions,

education, government, health, industry, religion,

society

c. Acquaintance with Philippine heroes connected with

labor and industry and with the struggle for

independence

d. Familiarity with the steps leading to the development

of our present democratic form of government and the

consequent acquisition of the fundamental rights and

corresponding obligations.

e. Familiarity with important geographical facts relating

to – the United States of America, Other countries of

North America, South America, Africa, Europe

Habits and

Skills

a. Skill in evaluating and selecting data for use in reports

and discussions

b. Increased skill in the interpretation of maps, charts,

graphs, and statistical tables

c. Ability to trace changes or growth in social, political,

religious, and economic life of the people

d. Ability to compare or contrast facts about men,

regions, and countries

e. Ability to solve problems pertaining to character and

health


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f. Increased development of habits of courtesy and

politeness, hospitality, honesty, kindness and

sympathy, courage and bravery, thrift, tolerance,

industry, sportsmanship, personal cleanliness and

neatness, respect for the rights of others

Attitudes a. Appreciation of desirable native traits, customs, and

beliefs

b. Appreciation of the social, religious, economic, and

political changes brought about by Spain and the

United States

c. Increased respect for our national heroes and others

who contributed to our national welfare

d. An attitude of intelligent interest in the functions of

our government

e. Acceptance of the ideal – “Good health is to live most

and serve best”

f. Willingness to take an active part in promoting

community health

g. Increased preference for Philippine-made goods

h. Increased spirit of toleration through an understanding

of the contributions which the different racial groups

have made to Filipino life

i. Increased interest on the democratic way of life Note: Lifted from the Bureau of Education (1949). Social Studies in the Intermediate Grades.

Manila: Bureau of Printing, pp. 139-140

Significant enactments also affected the general mood of education.

Another significant legislation was placed in 1953 through the Republic Act No.

896 known as The Elementary Education Act of 1953. Two essential provisions

were Section 3 and Section 5. Section 3 aims to put into effect the reestablishment

of Grade VII while compulsory education in the elementary was due to the

provision of Section 5. However, the reinstatement of Grade VII never materialized

due to funding issues. In 1954, a Board of National Education was created "to

formulate, implement and enforce general educational objectives and policies,

coordinate the offerings, activities, and functions of all educational institutions in

the country to accomplish an integrated, nationalistic and democracy-inspired

educational system in the Philippines" thru Republic Act 1124. In the same year,

Republic Act No, 1425 which mandated the inclusion of Rizal's life, works, and

writings into the all curricula of all public and private schools to serve as "constant

and inspiring source of patriotism with which the minds of the youth, especially


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during their formative and decisive years in school, should be suffused" with the

mandate that "all educational institutions are under the supervision of, and subject

to regulation by the State, and all schools are enjoined to develop moral character,

personal discipline, civic conscience and to teach the duties of citizenship." This

patriotic action was further reinforced through the Republic Act 1265 of 1955

which mandates that "all educational institutions shall henceforth observe daily flag

ceremony, which shall be simple and dignified and shall include the playing or

singing of the Philippine National Anthem.

In 1957, the Board of National Education promulgated the Revised

Philippine Educational Program which provided changes in the elementary and

secondary schools (Meany, 1962). In 1957, the Department of Education

announced the adoption of the 2-2- Plan curriculum beginning in 1958. The 2-2-

Plan curriculum requires all students to take a common general education program

in the first and second years which is considered basic in producing effective

citizenship in a democratic country. The last two years offered the choice of

vocational courses. However, full implementation of this curriculum has been

delayed due to limited accommodations and facilities and a high cost of equipment

to name a few. The table below shows the general objectives of the program:

Table 5.2

General Objectives of the Revised Philippine Educational Program, 1957

Fundamental Objectives

of Education

Elementary Education Secondary Education

1. To inculcate moral

and spiritual values

inspired by an

abiding faith in

God

2. To develop an

enlightened,

patriotic, useful,

and upright

citizenry in a

democratic society.

3. To instill habits of

industry and thrift,

and to prepare

The elementary school

should offer adequate

education for our

children to prepare them

for democratic

citizenship. It should

instruct in basic

knowledge, develop

basic skills and

attitudes, and inculcate

ideals necessary for the

promotion of national

solidarity, and the

development of an

The secondary school

shall continue the

unifying functions of

elementary education

by providing general

education and shall

seek to discover the

varying abilities,

interests, and aptitudes

of the youth, and offer

courses in the different

fields of productive

endeavor according to

the talents of the youths


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individuals to

contribute to the

economic

development and

wise conservation

of the Nation’s

natural resources

4. To maintain family

solidarity, to

improve

community life, to

perpetuate all that

is desirable in our

national heritage,

and to serve the

cause of world

peace

5. To promote the

sciences, arts, and

letters for the

enrichment of life

and the recognition

of the dignity of

the human person.

enlightened, patriotic,

useful, and upright

citizenry in a

democracy.

Emphasizing the

culture, desirable

traditions, and virtues of

our people, it should

prepare the child for

effective participation in

his community and a

better understanding of

an expanding society.

and in the light of

community needs. It

shall also initiate a

program designed to

develop community

leadership.

A few years after the creation of the Board of National Education, a report

was presented to the President describing the General Education Policies in 1958.

The conclusion and recommendation emphasized the objectives of Philippine

education in general. The Board states that:

In the pursuit of an integrated, nationalistic, and democracy-

inspired educational system and because of the urgent practical

necessity of adjusting the policies of the Board to the grim and

determined all-out national effort to produce a truly Philippine

system of education that shall be basic to a better control of the

economic, moral, and social forces of the nation, the Board has

acted with the utmost care and rationality to plug loopholes in

our educational system…(1958 Report of the Board of National

Education, 1960).

Another educational survey was conducted which was patterned after an

initial study of Philippine education made in 1959-60. This survey was known as

the Swanson Survey (headed by J. Chester Swanson) entitled A Survey of the


133

Public Schools of the Philippines. The project was developed by the Bureau of

Public Schools of the Department of Education and the Education Division of the

International Cooperation Administration. The survey team made some notes

regarding the teaching of social studies as presented in Table 5.3:

Table 5.3

Notes and Recommendations of 1960 Survey of Public Schools of the Philippines

Subject Areas Recommendation

Social Studies

(Elementary)

Included in the social

studies are "character

education, geography,

history, civics, community

problems, good manners

and right conduct, and

Filipino family customs

and traditions. Character

education was made a

separate subject in 1958,

but much instruction in the

social studies deals with

the development of

character. (67)

Clarification of the place

of community problems

and children’s social

problems in the program

so that they will not be

substituted for the

teaching of basic social

studies units which

include history,

geography, and civics

Systematic planning to

assure thorough and

meaningful teaching of

basic content from the

social science disciplines,

fundamental skills, and

attitudes and ideals that

have been selected for

inclusion in the social

studies. Steps should be

taken to upgrade teachers’

backgrounds in

geography, history, and

other social sciences

Development of

enlightened nationalism in

a perspective that is

broadly conceived in

terms of the relationships

between the Philippines

and other countries. As

one Filipino educator put

it, "Sane nationalism

without incompatibility to

sound internationalism

(69)

Social Studies

(Secondary)

Four units of social

sciences are required for

graduation (125)

Applied aspects of social

studies give full attention

to the local schools, the

community and the


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The Curriculum

1st Year - Philippine

Community Life

2nd Year – Philippine

History and Government

3rd Year – Philippine

Problems

4th Year – World History

national needs and

problems of the

Philippines

Opportunity awaken,

inform, and challenge the

high school student in

terms of his social

responsibility and

potential leadership

Social studies should

become the center of

homeroom activity,

encouraging maximum

student participation and

affording growing

guidance opportunities

Student participation in

school government should

be centered in these social

studies classes. “Grass-

roots” democracy in the

high school demands full

participation of all the

students. (126) Note: Lifted from International Cooperation Administration of the United States (1960), A Survey

of the Public Schools of the Philippines- 1960. Manila: United States Operations Mission to the

Philippines.

In 1965, Ferdinand Marcos became President. Before his declaration of

Martial Law in 1972, he also provided an impetus to look into the development and

trajectory of Philippine education. In 1969, President Marcos through Executive

Order No. 202, created the Presidential Commission to Survey Philippine

Education. Composed of leading educators and scholars from government and

private sectors, the seven-man committee led by Onofre Corpuz was tasked to do

the following:

1). Analyze the performance of the educational system and its

relevance to development goals. Emphasis should be placed on

the system’s capacity to meet human resources development

goals, including the manpower requirements of national

development. It shall also ascertain means for improving the

efficiency of the system within the limits of available resources;

2). To recommend specific ways of improving the system with

particular emphasis on developing policies and mechanisms for

channeling resources, according to priorities for the purposes of


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achieving improvement in the system generally and meeting

qualitative needs particularly; and

3). To identify critical areas in Philippine education for more

detailed research and study.

In the report, the aims for elementary and secondary education were stated.

Elementary education aims 'to provide the knowledge, skills, and attitudes which

are basic for personal development and modern living in an expanding society.

Basic education should provide literacy and development in the individual

cognitive power, numerical manipulation, and communication skills (Office of the

President of the Philippines, 1969: 67). While secondary education is responsible

for continuing the unifying functions of elementary education by providing general

education. Secondary education shall a). seek to discover the varying abilities,

interests, and aptitudes of the youth, and offer courses in the different fields of

productive endeavor according to the talents of the youths and in the light of

community needs; b). cultivate vocational efficiency which will help the students

become effective members of their family and the community, and c). offer courses

to prepare students for effective study in the institutions of higher learning. (Office

of the President of the Philippines, 1969: 71)

5.3. Social Studies under the Bagong Lipunan (New Society), 1973-1982

The Marcosian years brought many changes both structural and ideological.

The Marcosian dream of a New Society intended to solve the fundamental problems

of the Philippines. Among the achievements of this regime was the growth in

foreign investment at the expense of complete suspension of the democratic process

and institutions (Lin 1975). President Marcos has justified martial law on two

grounds: that the country was threatened by a Communist-led political conspiracy

and that extra-constitutional measures were needed to combat wide-spread social

and economic decay (CIA 1974). The Integrated Reorganization Plan of the

Executive Branch was also implemented "in order to effect the desired changes and

reforms in the social, economic and political structure of the country" through


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Marcos' Presidential Decree No. 1. The Department of Education by Proclamation

1081 became the Department of Education and Culture.

Likewise, a new constitution was ratified on January 17, 1973, following

Presidential Proclamation No. 1102 issued by President Ferdinand E. Marcos which

contributed to the crafting of educational policies. Since 1946, curricula for schools

have been based on policies from the Philippine Constitution and pronouncements

and education laws adopted by the government. Article XV of the 1973

Constitution requires that "all educational institutions shall aim to inculcate love of

country, teach the duties of citizenship, and develop moral character, personal

discipline, and scientific, technological, and vocational efficiency." (Cortes, 1980)

Likewise, clearly stated in Presidential Decree 6-A (the Educational

Development Act of 1972) provides objectives specific to the three levels of the

formal educational system. Under the decree elementary:

(a) Provide for a broad general education that will assist each individual,

in the peculiar ecology of his own society, to (1) attain his potential as a

human being; (2) enhance the range and quality of individual and group

participation in the basic functions of society; and (3) acquire the essential

educational foundation for his development into a productive and versatile

citizen:

(b) Train the nation's manpower in the middle level skill required for

national development;

(c) Develop the high-level professions that will provide leadership for the

nation, advance knowledge through research, and apply new knowledge for

improving the quality of human life; and

(d) Respond effectively to changing needs and conditions of the nation

through a system of educational planning and evaluation.

Educational changes are also at work, the Presidential Committee to Survey

Philippine Education (PCSPE) which was created in 1970 looked into the basic

weakness inherent in the existing educational situation which is basically financial

in nature. However, the Educational Project Implementation Task Force


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(EDPITAF) was created in 1972 to identify and prepare the project studies

recommended by the PCSPE (Miguel and Ordonez, 1988).

Curricular changes were apparent. The establishment of Marcos’ New

Society made the pre-martial law education obsolete and education became an

instrument in establishing the new social order he envisioned. To achieve the

desired results, the school system was reorganized as to aims, curriculum, and

methods of teaching and learning. This could be surmised in the School Curriculum

in the New Society:

The establishment of a New Society calls for a new school

curriculum more relevant to the needs of the pupils and the community.

It was claimed that the curriculum under the Old Society was highly

academic and bookish education. To meet the aims of the New Society,

new subjects as tax information education, population education, thrift

and saving, youth civic action program, Green Revolution, work

education, consumer education, and others are integrated into

appropriate subjects in the elementary and secondary school curricula.

Youth civic action is integrated with other subjects in elementary,

secondary, and in college…. The youth civic action aims to develop

among students social consciousness and love for labor. Work

education is required for every child to develop a love for work which

is the key to economic development. The secondary school curriculum

is now revised to meet this need or goal. For more effective instruction

in the elementary grades, some subjects have restructured. Scouting

was raised to a level of a curricular subject together with health and

physical education. By mandate of the New Constitution, Philippine

Constitution is added as a new subject in the elementary, secondary,

and collegiate levels. (Gregorio and Gregorio, 1976)

In 1973, the Revised Secondary Education Program (RSEP) replaced the

1957 Secondary Curriculum. After two years, a new revised secondary education

program was implemented which is still within the framework of the previous

program. The new revised secondary program targeted enhancement of agricultural

and vocational skills with a focus on their academic career preparation. Particular

needs of the locality in urban communities were addressed with a focus on

vocational and skilled subjects. Generally, the Revised Secondary Education

Program of 1975 aligns with the desire of President Marcos to equip students "with

the necessary skills for gainful employment at least by the end of their secondary


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education and if possible by the end of the second year in high school.” (Gregorio

and Gregorio, 1976).

In 1975, the Philippines launched Project Survey of the Outcomes of

Elementary Education (SOUTELE) to determine the state of elementary education.

Project SOUTELE, which emphasizes a battery of criterion-referenced academic

achievement tests, represents a movement toward the development of national

quality standards. The recommended improvements in elementary education by

Project SOUTELE prompted MECS, particularly the Bureau of Elementary

Education (BEE), to draw up a dynamic Ten-Year Development Programme (1981-

1990) for his level of education (Miguel and Ordonez, 1988). Accordingly, the

decade of the 1970s was regarded as the Philippines’ golden era of reform and

development in elementary education with the implementation of SOUTELE which

‘painted a depressing picture of the situation of elementary education and

recommended the development of a programme for overcoming the learning

disadvantages (Sutaria, 1981).

One of the programs implemented in connection with the findings of SOUTELE is

the Experimental Elementary Education Programme (EEEP). The Minister of

Education and Culture asked the committee to revise the elementary program that

is decongested in the first three grades with more subjects being introduced in the

upper grades. The intended outcome is for students to concentrate on the mastery

of basic skills. The program utilized subject integration where Communication arts

in English for the first two grades are from the content of science and health. While

Pilipino language draws content from social studies and character education in the

first three grades. However, the program suffered failure due to several reasons –

one of which is that the implementation of the project can be aptly summarized by

the statement "too much too soon" (Sutaria, 1981).

Focus on elementary education was also highlighted with the publication of

The Elementary Learning Continuum (1977) with the promotion of key concepts in

Araling Panlipunan (Social Studies). These would include Samahang Panlipunan


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(Social Organization), Disiplinang Panlipunan (Social Discipline),

Pagpapahalagang Moral at Ispiritwal (Moral and Spiritual Values), Pamana ng

Lahi at Pambansang Pagkakakilanlan (National Heritage and National Identity),

Kapaligiran (Environment), Pagbabago (Social Change), Ang Mamamayan, ang

Institusyon at ang Kaunlaran (Citizens, Institutions, and Development).

In June 1978, the Department of Education has renamed the Ministry of

Education and Culture, with the Secretary assuming the title of Minister. However,

the body's structure was not altered with the change in name (Cortes, 1980).

Eventually, four years after, the Education Act of 1982 which provided the

establishment and maintenance of an integrated system of education in the

Philippines where the objectives of Elementary and Secondary education were also

reiterated:

Objectives of Elementary Education - The objectives of elementary

education are:

1. To provide the knowledge and develop the skills, attitudes, and

values essential to personal development and necessary for living in

and contributing to a developing and changing social milieu;

2. To provide learning experiences which increase the child's

awareness of and responsiveness to the changes in and just demands

of society and to prepare him for constructive and effective

involvement;

3. To promote and intensify the child's knowledge of, identification

with, and love for the nation and the people to which he belongs;

and

4. To promote work experiences that develop the child's orientation

to the world of work and creativity and prepare himself to engage in

honest and gainful work.

Objectives of Secondary Education. - The objectives of secondary education

are:

1. To continue to promote the objectives of elementary education;

and


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2. To discover and enhance the different aptitudes and interests of

the students so as to equip him with skills for productive endeavor

and/or prepare him for tertiary schooling.

5.4 Multi-dimensional Curricular Reform: A Case of the Program for

Decentralized Educational Development (PRODED) and the Secondary

Education Development Program (SEDP), 1982-2002

The amended aims and objectives of Philippine education has led the

national government to reform its existing curriculum, both in the elementary and

secondary levels. The Program for Decentralized Educational Development

(PRODED) was rooted in the issues looming over the educational system such as

the low achievement rate, low survival rate, and low participation rate. Stop-gap

measures were implemented by the previous administrations but the issues

continued to recur because the root-cause was not resolved adequately. As such, a

study was conducted by the Office of the Planning Service of the small-scale

Decentralized Educational Planning Program (DEPP) that focused on increasing

the quality and efficiency of samples of depressed, disadvantages, and underserved

(DDU) schools. To answer the identified issues, the national government, through

the financing (loan) from World Bank, established PRODED as a multi-pronged

development program that will run from 1982 to 1985. The program aimed at

addressing disparities between and within regions in the delivery of services and

allocation of resources. Moreover, it was intended to improve student achievement,

reduce dropout rates, raise retention and participation rates, increase pupil-teacher

ratio, and raise the efficiency of the total elementary education system (Bauzon,

2009). To achieve the aims of the program, one component of PRODED was to

develop a New Elementary School Curriculum (NESC). The development of this

new curriculum comprised of textbooks, course guides/syllabi, learning packages,

and lesson plans. Multi-sectoral participation was held to create the NESC.

The Secondary Education Development Program (SEDP) shared the same

objectives with the PRODED. One of its components too was the creation of the

New Secondary Education Curriculum (NSEC). Various stakeholders participated

in the achievement of the SEDP's aims. What makes SEDP different from


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PRODED was the source of funding. Given the presence of permitting conditions

to undertake major curricular reform activities, the availability of funds was the

major challenge that the educational system has to address. With World Bank

securing PRODED, SEDP had to farm out to different donors and bilateral funding

agencies (Bago, 2008). Table 17 presents the SEDP development and the various

funding agencies that provided for each progress.

Table 5.4

Secondary Education Development Program (SEDP) Developments and Donor

Interventions1

1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993

1. Curriculum

Documents

and Pilot Tests

GOP

2. Textbooks/

Teaching

Resources

GOP/ CIDA/ JICA/ ADB

3. In-Service

Training of

Teachers/

Fellowships

GOP/ ADB/ GTZ

4. Facilities GOP/ ADB/ USAID/

JICA

5. Equipment

GOP/ ADB/ USAID/ GTZ/ JICA

6.Management

and Support

Services

GOP/ ADB/

UNDP

Note: Adapted from Bago, A. (2008). Curriculum Development: The Philippine Experience.

Quezon City: C&E Publishing. Original source: Philippines-Australia Science and Mathematics

Education Project (PASMEP), Design Document, Australian International Development Assistance

Bureau (AIDAB, 1988).

1 Legend: ADB – Asian Development Bank; CIDA – Canadian International Development

Agency; GOP – Government of the Philippines; GTZ – German Agency for Technical

Cooperation; JICA- Japan International Cooperation Agency; UNDP- United Nations

Development Program; USAID- United States Agency for International Development


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External funding was the main quality of two major reform efforts in

curriculum development during this period. Both programs promised a higher

quality and greater number of student participation. SEDP worked on the premise

that the success of PRODED will also be its success. Building a strong educational

foundation in the elementary level will deliver good results at the secondary level

(Sutaria, 1989).

5.4.1 The New Elementary School Curriculum (NESC) and Social Studies

As part of the PRODED program, the NESC was introduced in the school year

1983-1984. One of the features of the NESC was the focus on outcomes instead of

the subjects. It also featured the three "R's" of learning—reading, writing, and

'rithmetic.' It is composed of the primary level (Grades 1 to 4) with nine subject

areas—English, Mathematics, Filipino, and Civics and Culture. History,

geography, society, politics, and government were also present and is aimed at

making pupils nationalistic and patriotic. In the intermediate level (Grades 5 and

6), the number of subjects was reduced to six (6). Mastery is key to successful

achievement in the higher grades.

Social studies in the NESC was divided into two categories: (1) Civics and

Culture (Sibika at Kultura), which is taken in Grades 1 and 2; and (2) History,

Geography, and Civics (Heograpiya, Kasaysayan, at Sibika- HeKaSi), for Grades

4, 5, and 6. All social studies subjects are allotted 40 minutes daily or 200 minutes

weekly. The medium of instruction for social studies was still Pilipino (MECS,

1986).

Civics and Culture deal with the study of the relationship of man to society and

government, his role, duties and responsibilities, rights and privileges as a citizen

of his country and the world. Moreover, moral and spiritual values, pride in one's

cultural heritage, proper nutrition, desirable health habits, and creative self-

expression are also developed in this subject. History, Geography, and Civics, on

the other hand, is a learning package on how people, ideas and events in the past


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that helped shape the present. Each discipline in the learning package deals with the

Philippine context. This format of the NESC has been in the Philippine educational

system until 2002 with some revisions on time allotment and assessment (MECS,

1986).

5.4.2. The New Secondary Education Curriculum (NSEC) and Araling

Panlipunan

The NSEC was introduced in the school year 1989-1990—six years after the

implementation of the NESC. Late implementation was necessary to progress and

continue the reform efforts started in PRODED. Araling Panlipunan or Social

Studies in the secondary curriculum is offered daily with a one-hour session each.

It was taught using the national language—Pilipino. The approach in the secondary

social studies was topical in nature in identified itself as the study of "social

sciences." Secondary social studies deal heavily with history and a year of studying

Economics. With its implementation in 1989, the sequencing and topics of

Secondary Education Araling Panlipunan are the following: 1st Year- Philippine

History and Government; 2nd Year – Asian Civilizations; 3rd Year – Economics;

and 4th Year – World History (DECS, 1989). This sequencing and scope of topics

were in effect until the school year 1997-1998. In a Department of Education,

Culture, and Sports (DECS) Order in 1998, a change in the sequencing in the NSEC

Social Studies was implemented in the school year 1998-1999. 3rd year and 4th year

topics were to be interchanged hence, 3rd year Araling Panlipunan became World

History, and 4th year became Economics. According to DECS, this change had

undergone "intensive participative-consultative conferences, workshops, and

discussions with parents, teachers, students, members of the academe, business and

religious groups… to solicit feedback, information, ideas, and recommendations"

(DECS, 1998). After this change in the sequencing, there were no major reforms

on curriculum and/or social studies.


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5.5 Conclusion

The post-war period posed a new beginning for the Philippine educational system

hence, with the crafting of the definition and teaching of social studies in schools.

Still, most of the curricular efforts are bounded by the highly centralized

administration of education, which is an off-shoot of the American period.

Nevertheless, the post-war period posed a new hope for social studies education as

it was clearly defined as citizenship training through the disciplines of the social

sciences. There was also a strong sentiment for nationalism and national

development during the Marcosian years. Social Studies became the frontrunner of

the nation's ideals of good citizenship and national character. The learning subject

also transformed itself from being subject-based to become outcome-based, where

students make sense of what they are learning through outputs and projects. In light

of social studies traditions, Social Studies during this period was for citizenship

transmission bordering to a reflective inquiry.