PHILIPPINE EDUCATIONAL

SYSTEM
EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM DURING THE
SPANISH COLONIZATION
Reported by: Gerame T. Azarse
During the Spanish Colonial Period of the
Philippines (1565-1898) most of the archipelago
underwent a deep cultural, religious transformation
from various native Asian cultures and traditions
with Islamic or animist religious practices, to a
unique hybrid of Southeast Asia and Western
culture including the Catholic faith.
• Spanish education played a major role in that
transformation. The oldest universities, colleges,
vocational schools and the first modern public
education system in Asia were created during the
colonial period
Education was still in the early stage of development
during the Spanish period. Even by the late 19 th century,
the Spanish language was still unknown to a great
majority. They were literate in their own native dialects.

The Spanish aristocracy tried to distinguish themselves

from the Indio with the use of language and level
education.
 THE EARLY PERIOD

During the early years of Spanish colonization,

education was mostly religion-oriented and
controlled by the Roman Catholic Church. Spanish
friars and missionaries educated the natives through
religion with the aim of converting indigenous
populations to the Catholic faith.
The Augustinians opened a school immediately upon arriving
in Cebu in 1565
The friars were affective in evangelizing the Catholic
religion to the Filipinos. One major failure of
educational system of the religious congregation was
the withholding of the Filipinos to learn other bodies
of knowledge.

Education during the Spanish regime was privileged

only the Spanish students. Several educated Filipinos
referred to as ilustrados began movements directed
towards change in the system of government in the
Philippines.
In 1610 Tomas Pinpin a Filipino printer, writer and publisher, who is sometimes
referred as the “Patriarch of Filipino Printing” wrote his famous Librong
Pagaaralan nang mga Tagalog nang Uicang Castilla, that was meant to help
Filipinos learn the Spanish language.
 TERTIARY SCHOOLS
Colegio de Santa Potenciana was the first school and college for girls
that opened in the Philippines, in 1589. It was followed by another
school for women, Colegio de Santa Isabel, that opened in 1632.

Other schools and colleges for girls were Santa Catalina, Santa
Rosa , La Concordia , etc. Several religious congregations also
established schools for orphaned girls who could not educate
themselves
The University de San Carlos was founded in Cebu by the Jesuits
on August 1,1595, initially named as the Colegio de San
Ildefonso.

It closed down in 1769 as a result of the expulsion of the Jesuits

from the Philippines and didn’t open again until 1783
On April 28,1611, the Universidad de Santo Tomas was founded in
Manila, initially named as the Colegio de Nuestra Señora del
Santisimo Rasario and later renamed as Colegio de Santo Tomas
In 1611, Fray Miguel de Benavides, the third archbishop the Colegio de Nuestra Senora del Santissimo
Rosario, later renamed Universidad de Santo Tomas ( in 1645 by Pope Innocent X). Universidad de
Santo Tomas.

Archbishop Fray Miguel Pope Innocent X

de Benavides
San Carlos and Santo Tomas maintain a friendly rivalry over the
claim to be the oldest university in Asia. The University of San
Carlos makes the claim of tracing its roots to the Colegio de San
Ildefonso founded by the Spanish Jesuits fathers Antonio Sedeno,
Pedro Chirino and Antonio Pereira in 1595.
 The Jesuits also founded the Colegio de San Jose (1601) and took over the
management of a school that become the Escuela Municipal( 1859, later renamed
Ateneo Municipal de Manila in 1865, now the Ateneo de Manila University
The Dominicans on their part had the Colegio de San Juan de Letran (1620) in Manila.
All of them provided courses leading the different prestigious degrees, like the
Barchiller en Artes, that by the 19th century included science subjects such as physics,
chemistry, natural history and mathematics.
In 1621, College of San Ignacio was elevated to the rank of a University by
Pope Gregory XV and was named University of San Ignacio. However, this
school was closed in 1768 when the Jesuits were expelled from the country.

Pope Gregory XV
The Franciscans nuns was established the Real Monasterio de Santa
Clara( now St. Claire Convent of Manila), the first nunnery in the
Philippines in 1621.
San Juan de Letran for the orphaned boy established in 1630.
 The girls were also given special education.
Schools were two kinds:

• COLEGIO- a regular school for girls

• BEATERIO- a combined school and nunnery.
The first college for girls in the Philippines was the College of Santa
Potenciana ( 1594). After the school ceased its operations, the students
transferred to College of Santa Isabel, now the oldest existing college for
girls in the country. The institution was originally built to care for orphaned
Spanish girls. Eventually, it became an exclusive school for the daughters of
fluent Spaniards.
 MODERN PUBLIC SYSTEM
EDUCATION
Modern public school education was introduced in Spain only in 1857.
Free access to modern public education by all Filipinos was made
possible through the enactment of the Education Decree of December
20,1863 by Queen Isabella 11.
The Education Decree of 1863 provided for the establishment of atleast
two free primary schools, one for boys and another for girls, in each
town under the responsibility of the municipal government. It also
commended the creation of a public normal school to train men as
teachers, supervised by the Jesuits.
One of these schools was the Escuela Normal Elemental, which, in 1896
became the Escuela Normal Superior de Maestras de Manila (Manila
Ordinary School for Schoolmistresses). The Spanish government
established a school for midwives in 1879, and Escuala Normal Superior
de Maestras ( Superior Normal School) for female teachers in 1892.
 EDUCATIONAL DECREE 1863
• The first educational system for students in the country was
established by the virtue of the education Decree of 1863.
• The decree required the government to provide school
institutions for boys and girls in every town.
• Spanish schools started accepting Filipino students.
 EDUCATIONAL DECREE 1863
• The normal school was also established.
• The friars controlled the educational system during Spanish.
• The missionaries took charge in teaching, controlling and
maintaining the rules and regulations imposed to the students.
• The schools before were exclusive for Spaniards. The Filipinos were
only able to enter the school in the late 19th century
 THE EFFECT OF COLONIAL
EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES
The effect of education to the Filipinos was only compelled to the friars
influences from their lessons based on the Christian Doctrines or
teachings

One major failure of the educational system of the religious

congregations was the withholding of the Filipinos to learn other bodies
of knowledge.
 THE EFFECT OF COLONIAL
EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES
In entirety, education during the Spanish regime was privileged only to
Spanish students. The supposed Philippine education was only a means
to remain colonizers.
Meanwhile, several educated Filipinos referred to as ilustrados may
considered one of the major effects of education in the Philippines.
THANK YOU!!!!