It is evident that the contemporary pedagogy of Philippine educational system and the makeup of Philippine classrooms serve as the window of the country’s vibrant history. The amalgamation of the country’s history, values, belief systems, and multicultural perspectives into its learning systems is attributed to colonialism. As a Spanish colony for 333 years, the Philippines has become the center of Christian-based educational system in Asia. The arrival of the Americans in 1898 formed the foundations of modern Philippine education system bolstered by the introduction of the English language. The Spanish language then faded until its abolition in 1987. As social systems evolved overtime, cultural artefact still lingers from the vestiges of colonial history and deeply ingrained in succeeding social systems. Such transformation has advantages and disadvantages. With majority of Filipinos being Anglophone, it has become a competitive advantage across Asia, to the detriment however, of one’s own language. Quality education is gradually deteriorating, while access to higher education has challenged impoverished citizens. This paper chronicles over more than a thousand years of history from ancient learning systems, to over 500 years of control from imperial superpowers, and up to the most recent reforms. Review of selected studies and critical social enquiry were used to examine the interplay of independent and interdependent roots of pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial educational systems.
Philippine E-Journals
