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
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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
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
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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.