Before 1521

The education of pre-Spanish time in the Philippines was informal and unstructured. The fathers
taught their sons how to look for food and other means of livelihood. The mothers taught their girls to do
the household chores. This education basically prepared their children to become good husband and wives.
Early Filipino ancestors valued education very much. Filipino men and women knows how to read and
write using their own native alphabet called alibata. The alibata was composed of 17 symbols representing
the letters of the alphabet. Among these seventeen symbols were three vowels and fourteen consonants.

1521- 1896
The educational system of the Philippines during the Spanish times was formal. The Religious
congregations paved the way in establishing schools from the primary level to the tertiary level of
education. The schools focused on the Christian Doctrines. There was a separate school for boys and girls.
The wealthy Filipinos or the Ilustrados were accommodated in the schools.

Educational Decree 1863

The first educational system for students in the country was established by virtue of the Education
Decree of 1863. In furtherance, the order required the government to provide school institutions for boys
and girls in every town. As a consequence, the Spanish schools started accepting Filipino students. It was
during this time when the intellectual Filipinos to become known. The Normal School was also established
which gave men the opportunity to study a three-year teacher education for the primary level.
It is interesting to note that for nearly 300 years, education in the Philippines was the primary
responsibility of the Catholic Church. The missionaries established the schools, provided the teachers and
facilities and decided what should be taught. It was only in the last half of the 19th century that the
government took an active part in promoting education in the colony. In 1863, a royal decree called for the
establishment of a public school system in the colony.

1898- 1935 (American Time)

Little did the Filipinos realize that, immediately after the Spaniards left the Philippine shores, the
Americans were later became their masters. Unlike the Spaniards who neglected to propagate their
language, the Americans made it a point to teach English to the Filipinos. The American soldiers were the
first teachers of the Filipinos. Americans discarded the religious bias, Educational Separation of Church

and State in education, encourage Filipino in the field of teaching, outstanding Filipino scholars were sent
to US to train as teachers.
The state provided free education in public schools all over the country. Education also emphasized
nationalism so the students were taught about the life of the Filipino heroes. Vocational education and some
household activities like sewing, cooking, and farming were also given importance. Good manners and
discipline were also taught to the students.

1935-1941 (Commonwealth)
All schools should develop moral character, personal discipline, civic conscience and vocational
efficiency. Promote effective participation of the citizens in the processes of a democratic society. To
help counteract the American cultural influence among the Filipinos, President Quezon greatly encouraged
the revival of native culture as well as desirable Filipino values.
And to help strengthen the moral fibers of the Filipinos and to foster love of country especially
among the youth, President Quezon issued his Code of Ethics which was required to be taught in all schools.
In 1940, several changes were made in the Philippine educational system by virtue of the Educational Act of
1940. Under this law, the elementary course was reduced from 7 years to 6 years. The minimum age for
admission to Grade I was raised to 7. The school calendar was also changed so instead of the school year
from June to March, it was changed to July to April.

1941-1944 (Japanese Occupation)

The government made some changes in the system of education in February, 1942. These changes were:

To stop depending on western countries like the U.S., and Great Britain. Promote and enrich the
Filipino culture.

To recognize that the Philippines is a part of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere so
that the Philippines and Japan will have good relations.

To be aware of materialism and to raise the morality of the Filipinos.

To learn and adopt Nippongo and to stop using the English language.

To spread elementary and vocational education.

To develop love for work.

Education after 1940

The objective of the Philippine Education was to established integrated, nationalistic, and democracyinspired educational system included the ff.
1. Instill moral and spiritual values inspired by an abiding faith in God.
2. To develop an enlighten, patriotic, useful and upright citizenry in a democratic society.
3. Conservation of the national resources.
4. Keeping of our desirable values
5. Promote the science, arts and letters.

Martial Law period

A bilingual education scheme was established in 1974, requiring Filipino and English to be used in
schools. Science and math subjects as well as English language and literature classes were taught in
English while the rest were taught in Filipino.
CONTEMPORARY PERIOD
For DepEds to achieve its vision, its mission at the national level is anchored on lifelong learning
and self-realization necessary for productive and responsible citizenship. With respect to this sense of
identity, DepEd shall provide basic education services for all Filipinos. At its various regional levels, it
has to ensure accountability and quality assurance by means of having technologically facilities,
intellectually capable and God-loving regional offices. Likewise, at its division levels, there must be a
sense of harmonious collaboration with all education stakeholders.
Noticeably, DepEds mission and vision speak of values such as love for God, justice, freedom,
etc. in order to attain its overall goal, not just functional literacy, but more importantly holistic
development (such as solid spiritual and moral grounding) of every Filipino. These become evident in the
core contents such as ethical, spiritual and moral development, which include problem solving and critical
thinking. The core contents themselves are explicitly housed in the three learning domains: attitudes
and values, knowledge and understanding, and essential skills.
At present
The Department of Education has taken the bold stride for a K to 12 education. Scholars said
there were educational issues and concerns confronting the nation such as the role of education in
national development and globalization, unresponsive curriculum to Filipinos basic needs, and improper
monitoring of constantly implemented educational programs / reforms. Moreover, students international
competitiveness in the global community such that programs, facilities, instructional materials, and
strategies must be aligned with international accreditation standards.
However, there are still accompanying issues (e.g., limited budgetary appropriations, poor facilities,

errors in textbooks contents, and a lot more) that should be taken into imminent considerations because
of its impact on later years of our graduates employability competencies.
A relevant and flexible curriculum. Educational content is focused on the need of society which is
for sound economy. This means better knowledge in skills and food production, conservation of natural
resources, technical knowledge in harnessing mineral deposits and less emphasis on white collar jobs
which result only in producing the educated unemployed.
A quality teacher with effective methods of teaching. To teach effectively, the teacher must
have the solid foundations in terms of educational training from reputable institutions, update his
method of teaching by reading and attending conferences, and should have the courage of trying out
various means or ways of maximizing learner. To do this, it becomes necessary to understand the
psychology of pupils and to be able to communicate with them in teaching-learning situations.
Every time changes in our educational system occur to search for the solution for our educational
ills, some pressure groups interfere and say it is unrealistic and expensive, which is not a valid reason.
Courage and energy for action should be sustained to strengthen the lives of the citizenry.

Ever since schools have existed they have been heavily influenced by the law. These laws span
over hundreds of years, and have either been modified over time or changed because of the attitudes
and beliefs of society as a whole. It is surprising how many aspects of schooling are deeply affected by
the law, particularly the relationship between teachers and students. These aspects include:
Teaching Conditions: certifications, duties and powers, employment conditions, grounds for dismissal,
labor laws, and collective bargaining.
Physical Safety of Students: negligence, liability, and child abuse issues.
School attendance: compulsory attendance.
Maintaining Order: discipline, classroom management, suspension/expulsion.
Student Rights/Democratic Practice: freedom of speech, beliefs, participation in governance by
teachers and students.
Teaching Practices: subjects to be taught, curriculum, length of school year, treatment of exceptional
children, copyrights on educational materials
With so many aspects of schooling affected by the law, teachers must ensure that they are
proactive in minimizing the possibility of breaching any laws that stem from the aspects. The bottom
line is that we must know the law so we can stay out of trouble while still being able to provide a highly
creative and productive learning environment for students. Teachers must have the ability to anticipate
possible dangers and take steps to avoid them, and regulate school life in such a way that learning is
taking place while the rights of all are being respected.
Todays society is more controversial than ever, where people no longer hesitate to press charges
when they feel they have been wronged in one way or another. Lawsuits have become very common in
schools, where cases have been made against teachers, schools, and school boards. Cases have been
made and won because of various forms of negligence on the part of teachers.
Therefore, teachers need to be concerned about the safety of their students because they can be
sued and prosecuted if their responsibilities are neglected. If prosecuted, it is highly possible that a
teacher would lose his/her job. In regarding the physical safety of students, teachers should ask
themselves.

Republic Act No. 4670 (Magna Carta for Teachers)

Magna Carta for public school teachers serves as the guide to utter protection and freedom, away from
threats and terminations from the concerned authorities. If you not aware of this law, you are always threatened by
the administrators or any person in authority to terminate you from work once you violated the law.
Declared as its policy the promotion and improvement of the social and economic status of public school
teachers, their living and working conditions, their terms of employment and their career prospects in order that they
may compare favorably with existing opportunities in other walks of life, attract and retain in the teaching profession
more people with the proper qualifications. Shall apply to all public school teachers except those in the professorial
staff of state colleges and universities.
In this Act, teacher means all persons engaged in classroom teaching, in any level of instruction. And is clearly stated
by this provision as profession not merely handling students but person in authority receiving high regards from the
community.
RECRUITMENT AND CAREER
Academic Freedom. Teachers shall enjoy academic freedom in the discharge of their professional duties, particularly
with regard to teaching and classroom methods.

HOURS OF WORK AND REMUNERATION.

Any teacher engaged in actual classroom instruction shall not be required to render more than six hours of
actual classroom teaching day, which shall be so scheduled as to give him time for the preparation and correction of
exercises and other work incidental to his normal teaching duties. However, that where the exigencies of the service
so require, any teacher may be required to render more than six hours but not exceeding eight hours of actual
classroom teaching a day upon payment of additional compensation at the same rate as his regular remuneration plus at
least twenty-five per cent of his basic pay (co-curricula and out of school activities and any other activities outside of
what is defined as normal duties of any teacher)

Salary scales of teachers shall provide for a gradual progression from a minimum to a maximum salary by
means of regular increments, granted automatically after three years. The salary scales of teachers, whose salaries
are appropriated by a city, municipal, municipal district, or provincial government, shall not be less than those provided
for teachers of the National Government.

HEALTH MEASURES AND INJURY BENEFITS

Compulsory medical examination shall be provided free of charge for all teachers before they take up
teaching, and shall be repeated not less than once a year during the teachers professional life. Where medical
examination show that medical treatment and/or hospitalization is necessary, same shall be provided free by the
government entity paying the salary of the teachers.

LEAVE AND RETIREMENT BENEFITS

Study Leave. In addition to the leave privileges now enjoyed by teachers in the public schools, they shall be
entitled to study leave not exceeding one school year after seven years of service. Such leave shall be granted in
accordance with a schedule set by the Department of Education.
Public school teachers having fulfilled the age and service requirements of the applicable retirement laws shall be given
one range salary raise upon retirement, which shall be the basis of the computation of the sum of the retirement pay
and the monthly benefits thereafter.

TEACHERS ORGANIZATION
Freedom to Organize. Public school teachers shall have the right to freely and without previous authorization both to
establish and to join organizations of their choosing, whether local or national to further and defend their interests.

ADMINISTRATION AND ENFORCEMENT

Rules and Regulations. The Secretary of Education shall formulate and prepare the necessary rules and regulations to
implement the provisions of this Act. The Secretary of Education shall submit to Congress annually the necessary
budgetary estimates to implement the provisions of the Act concerning the benefits herein granted to public school
teachers under the employ of the National Government.
A person who shall willfully interfere with, restrain of any teacher in the exercise of his rights guaranteed by this Act
or who shall in any other manner commit any act to defeat any of the provisions of this Act shall, upon conviction, be
punished by a fine of not less than one hundred pesos nor more than one thousand pesos, or by imprisonment, in the
discretion of the court.
If the offender is a public official, the court shall order his dismissal from the Government service.

CASE STUDY
In the court case of Myers vs. Peel County Board of Education, 15 year old Myers received instruction on the rings and
was taught proper method and function of spotting in Grade 10. In grade 11 gymnastics course Myers was taught levels
I and II routines on the rings. On December 6, 1972, Myers and a group of other students received permission to go
an exercise room not visible from the gymnasium to practice their gymnastics, while the rest of the class remained in
the gymnasium. The Physical Education teacher remained in the gymnasium supervising the rest of the class while
Myers and the group of students went to the exercise room. After practicing the Myers dismounted from the rings
and his spotter moved away. Myers did not tell his spotter that he was mounting the rings again. After mounting the
rings again, Myers attempted a straddle dismount (a maneuver he had never attempted before), landing on his neck and
suffering spinal injuries leaving him a quadriplegic. The safety mats that were being used were two compressed slab
mats about two and one-half inches thick were used under the rings at the time of the accident, however, much thinker
crash mats were available.
Action was taken action the Peel Country Board of Education and the Physical Education instructor in the Ontario
Supreme Court, charging them with negligence. The finding of the court found that the defendants were 80 percent
negligent while the plaintiff was 20 percent negligent. The plaintiff was awarded $2 656.30 in special damages, $64
000.00 in general damages, and one-half of his court costs.
The decision was based upon the fact that the defendant was liable for failure to provide proper equipment and proper
supervision. The evidence showed that the crash mats for these inexperienced students was a necessary precaution.
Also, it was proven that there was an absence of supervision. It was noted the presence of the teacher might have
prevented this accident, and the court also agreed that if adequate matting had been provided and used the accident
would have been avoided.
The court used the six factors outlining the duty of care to come to their decision. The court ruled that a standard of
care was not met by the instructor, because of the particular activity was potentially dangerous and injury was
foreseeable. Also, the slab mats that were used were dangerous if a student happened to fall from the rings, rather
the student should have been to use the crash mats.