SPECIFIC DECREES ACTS AND LAWS (Legalizing Philippine Education)

1.    PROVISIONAL CONSTITUTION OF BIAK NA BATO: Article XV- the Secretary of Interior was to take charge among other duties, with the advancement of the public instruction.

• Elimination of the friar control over all or most aspects of education

• Secularization of a universal system of primary education

• Greater supervision and control higher education by the state

• Implementation of a more modern and progressive educational system patterned after western models

 

2.    THE MALOLOS CONSTITUTION (1899 Constitution: Article 23 not only contain instruction regarding the public schools; it also specifies the manner by which private schools maybe established in order to provide more access to education to a greater number of Filipinos. All primary education was offered free and compulsory in all schools in the country as explicitly stated in the constitution.

―Any Filipino may establish and maintain institutionsof learning, in accordance withthe laws authorizing them, Public Education shall be free and obligatory in all schools of the nation‖

 

3.    THE 1935 CONSTITUTION: Article XIV - provides ‖All schools shall aim to develop moral character, personal discipline, civic conscience, and vocational efficiency, and to teach the duties of citizenship‖

Article XIV, Sec 5; ―All educational institution shall be under the supervision of a subject to regulation by the state. The government shall establish and maintain a complete and adequate system of public education, and shall provide at least free public primary instruction and citizenship training to adult citizens.

The Japanese occupied the City of Manila in 1942. Subsequently, the Japanese dissolved the National Government and replaced it with Central Administrative Organization of the Japanese Army. The Japanese created the Department of Education, Health and Public

Welfare with Claro M. Recto as commissioner. The Bureau of Private Education supervised private schools and colleges. The six basic principles of Japanese education basic principles of Japanese education in the Philippines include the following as enumerated by Bago.

 

a.          To make people understand the position of the Philippines as member of the EAST-ASIA Co Prosperity Sphere.

 

b.          To eradicate the old idea of the reliance upon the western nations especially upon the United States and Great Britain, and to posters a new Filipino culture based on the self- consciousness of the people as Orientals

 

c.           To endeavor to evaluate the morals of the people, giving up the over emphasis on materialism

 

d.          To strive for the diffusion of the Japanese language in the Philippines and to terminate the use of English in due course.

 

e.          To put importance to the diffusion of elementary education and to the promotion of vocational education.

 

f.            To inspire the people with the spirit to love labor.

 

4.    THE 1973 CONSTITUITION: The 1973 constitution provided specific provisions on education in several sections that demonstrates the important role assigned to education in creating the New Society. Section 8 of Article XV provides that: ―All educational institutions shall, be under the supervision of a subject to regulation by the state. The state shall establish and maintain a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant to the goals of the national development‖.

 

5.    THE FREEDOM CONSTITUTION OF 1986: Article XV, Section 8 contained the specific provisions on education. Thus the educational system during the interim period was basically the same as the one operating under the Martial Law.

 

6.    THE 1987 CONSTITUTION: Section 17 of the Constitution states:‖ The state shall give priority to education, science and technology, arts, culture, and sports to foster patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation and development‖. This general principle was defined in sections 1-5 of article IV on Education, Science and Technology, Arts, Culture and Sports Education.

 

7.    THE ROYAL EDUCATIONAL DECREE OF 1863: In an attempt to correct the existing deficiencies in education, the Royal Educational decree of 1863 was promulgated. The main objective of the decree was to establish a system of elementary schools for the country and to provide training for teachers in order to ―broaden as much as possible the teaching of the Holy Catholic Faith, of the language of the fatherland, and of the elementary knowledge of life.‖

 

8.    EDUCATIONAL ACT OF 1901: In 1901, a few years after the establishment of the American Rule in the country, the Philippines Commission passed the first comprehensive school law for the Philippines. The main objective of the Educational Act of 1901, which is also known as Philippine Commission Act no.74 and considered as the ―Organic school law of the Philippines‖ was to establish a highly centralized educational system in the country.

 

9.    EDUCATIONAL ACT OF 1940: The educational act of 1940 during the Commonwealth period ushered a new era in educational history. The primary aim of the act was ―to meet the increasing demand for public elementary instruction at the same time comply with the constitutional mandate on public education.

 

10.  EDUCATIONAL ACT OF 1982: The act provides for the establishment and maintenance of an integrated system of education (both formal and non-formal) relevant to the goals of national development. In recognition of the right of every individual to have equal access to relevant quality education. The act definesthe structure of the formal education consisting of elementary, secondary and tertiary levels as well as delineates the objectives of each category.

 

11.  THE PHILIPPINES BILINGUAL POLICY (BEP): The policy provided an operational definition of Bilingual Education in the Philippines, which is the separate use of Filipino and English as the media of instruction in specific subject area. (As reiterations of DECS order No. 25 of 1974- Implementing Guidelines for the policy on Bilingual Education

 

12.  FREE PUBLIC SECONDARY ACT OF 1988: The act established and provided for a free public secondary education to all qualified citizens.

 

13.  THE HIGHER EDUCATION ACT OF 1994: The act created the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) which is independent and separate form DECS.

 

14.  TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 1994: This Act (R.A. No. 7796) which is also known as the TESDA Act of 1994, created the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, providing for its powers, structure and for other purposes. The general aim of the Act is to provide ―relevant, accessible, high quality and efficient technical education and skills development in support of the development of high quality Filipino middle-level manpower responsive to and in accordance with Philippine development goals and priorities‖.

 

15.  HIGHER EDUCATION MODERNIZATION ACT OF 1997: Otherwise known as R.A. 8292. This act provides among others for the uniform composition and powers of the governing boards of state universities and colleges, with the chairman of CHED as the chair of the governing boards of all SUCs.

 

16.  AN ACT TO LENGHTHEN THE SCHOOL CALENDAR: Under this act, the school year shall start on the first Monday of June but not later than the last day of August. In the implementation of this act, the Secretary of Education shall determine the end of the regular school year, taking into consideration the Christmas and summer vacations, and the particular circumstances of each region.

 

17.  GOVERNANCE OF THE BASIC EDUCATION ACT OF 2001: This act contains provision that are also found in the educational act of 1982 regarding the organizational structure of the educational bureaucracy. The important provision of this act is the remaining of the department of education, culture and sports to the department of education.

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