The Philippine educational system has undergone major changes throughout history. During pre-Spanish times, education was informal and focused on vocational skills. When Spain colonized the Philippines, they replaced tribal tutors with Spanish missionaries and made education religion-focused and only for the elite. Several reforms gradually liberalized access to education. When the US took control after the Spanish-American War, they established a free public school system using English as the medium of instruction. The system grew to include high schools, technical schools, and the University of the Philippines. Reforms in the 20th century established departments of education and further restructured the system to focus on basic, technical/vocational, and higher education.