The culture of the Philippines is heavily influenced by its previous colonial powers, such as Spain and the United States, as well as its early trading partners, such as China, India, and the Malays. These foreign countries have had a significant impact on many aspects of its culture, including its history, traditions, religion, language, art, and food.
The archipelago is comprised of 7,107 islands, and nearly every one of these islands features a diverse collection of stunning sites, historical monuments, breathtaking natural wonders, amazing flora and fauna, and active traditions. Boracay, El Nido, Puerto Galera, and Amanpulo are among the most famous islands in the Philippines because to the white sands, pure blue waters, panoramic vistas, and friendliest services and hospitality that can be found on these islands. The temperature in the Philippines features a bright and very delightful ambiance for at least half of the year, making it an ideal vacation destination for travelers from other countries who wish to get away from extremely cold weather.
In every city, throughout the course of the year, a number of different festivals and celebrations are held. The vast majority of them are considered to be Christian traditions and rituals. A little under ninety-five percent of the people living in the Philippines adhere to some kind of Christianity, with the bulk of them being members of the Roman Catholic Church. The Filipino people have a strong affinity for parties and festivals, and they extend the kindest of greetings and provide comfortable lodging to everybody who comes to the country.
The Philippines, which is included on the list of newly industrialized emerging nations of the world, possesses a promising economy, provided that it is able to keep up its current rate of growth. The Philippine Peso, the nation’s unit of currency, was hailed as Asia’s currency with the best performance in 2005. The expansion of the country’s gross domestic product in 2007 reached 7.3 percent, the greatest level in the last 31 years. The Philippines is now widely recognized as one of the world’s leading centres for business processing outsourcing (BPO), largely attributable to the country’s highly qualified workforce.
The Culture, Traditions, and Heritage of Philippines
The culture of the Philippines is highly influenced by the diverse blend of many nationalities that have populated the country since the beginning of its civilization. This has resulted in a rich and unique cultural heritage. Numerous parts of Filipino culture have been profoundly shaped by the traditions of Spain, the United States, Malaysia, China, and Islam.
The closeness of the family unit is cherished to the greatest extent possible. As a direct result of this, respect for one’s parents and other adults is highly prized. Respect for one’s family and one’s elders is important to the Filipino way of life and plays a significant role in defining a person’s personality. Superstitions and other cosmological beliefs, like Feng Shui, that were brought to the Philippines by the Chinese are still widely practiced and in some way influence the choices that some Filipinos make.
The Philippines celebrates at least seven different national holidays each year. Lenten season is an important event in the Philippines since the bulk of the population is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. This season also represents an excellent time for Filipinos to meditate because it coincides with the season. The majority of Filipinos use this time off from their jobs and other commitments to relax and reflect on their lives before continuing on with their vacation plans. The Christmas season in the Philippines lasts longer than any other country in the world. Already in September, Filipinos begin compiling their holiday gift lists, and some of them have even begun purchasing the items on those lists.
In the 17th century, during the Spanish colonial era, artistic paintings and the rise of Filipino painters got their start in the Philippines. Notable contributions to Philippine art have been made by artists such as Luna, Fernando Amorsolo, Hugo C. Yunzon, and Zobel, amongst others.
The Spanish and Asian culinary traditions have left their mark on Filipino cuisine, making it a delicacy in its own right. A traditional Filipino supper consists of rice prepared in one of two ways: either by boiling or by frying, in addition to one or more viands or dishes. In traditional Filipino culture, it is standard practice to eat using a spoon and fork.
The Filipinos consider the game of sipa to be their national sport. The majority of Filipinos participate in a variety of popular recreational activities, including basketball, billiards, volleyball, badminton, patintero, and chess.
Languages in Philippines
The Philippines are home to at least 170 distinct languages and dialects, the vast majority of which are classified under the Borneo-Philippines collection of the Malayo-Polynesian language branch within the Austronesian language family.
Over the course of more than three centuries, Spanish served as the official language of the Philippines. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, it also became the de facto lingua franca. However, with the occupation of the United States by the Americans in the 1940s and the mandate to communicate in English, the use of Spanish gradually decreased. Both Filipino and English are recognized as official languages in accordance with the Constitution of 1987. The vast majority of Filipinos are able to read, write, and communicate effectively in both Filipino and English. English is widely used as the lingua franca throughout the country, although Filipino is the de facto standard translation of Tagalog spoken in Metropolitan Manila and city centers. Tagalog is the national language of the Philippines. Cebuano, Ilokano, Hiligaynon, Waray-Waray, Bikolano, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Maranao, Maguindanao, Kinaray-a, Tausug, and Chavacano are among the 12 major regional languages or dialects that are still widely spoken in certain regions.
Conversations among friends and family are typically held in Filipino or one of the several regional languages spoken in the Philippines. In the fields of education, business, government, medicine, the legal system, and other formal contexts, the language most commonly used is English. The Filipino language is not used in the production of school textbooks in disciplines such as physics, biology, religion, mathematics, or accounting. These textbooks are only available in the English language. American films and television programs that are shown on local networks do not have subtitles; nonetheless, the majority of films and television programs in the Philippines are produced in Filipino.
There are still some universities that provide classes in Spanish as a discipline. Other languages such as Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, and Malay are spoken in certain regions, particularly by immigrants from other countries. These people tend to come from far away.
Education in Philippines
The colonial past of the Philippines has had a significant impact on the educational system that currently exists in the country. This region’s past is marked by periods of authority and occupation by the Spanish, the Americans, and the Japanese. The United States’ occupation of the country, which began in 1898 and lasted until 1952, is credited with making the most significant and long-lasting contributions. During that time period, English became the primary language of instruction and a public education system was first established. This system, which was modeled after the educational system in the United States and was initially administered by a department called the Department of Instruction, was the first system of its kind in the world.
The educational system in the Philippines bears the indelible mark of the United States’ influence. Educating the nation’s future educators was the motivation behind the establishment of a number of schools and universities. The Institution of the Philippines became the first comprehensive public university in the Philippines when it was chartered in 1908. This event marked a significant milestone in the development of the country.
The education system in the Philippines is comparable to that of the United States in that it is both extensive and extremely inclusive. This system also includes higher education. The education system in the Philippines is still heavily influenced by the United States in the modern day. This is due to the fact that a significant number of the country’s teachers and professors have acquired graduate degrees from colleges in the United States.
In spite of the fact that the education system in the Philippines has long served as an example for other Southeast Asian countries, that system has been steadily deteriorating over the past several years. This is especially true in the areas of the country that are more rural and have higher rates of poverty. Other regions of the Philippines, such as Mindanao and Eastern Visayas, have primary school completion rates of only 30 percent or less, in contrast to Manila, the capital and largest city in the Philippines, which boasts a nearly 100 percent primary school completion rate. It should not come as a surprise that kids who come from metropolitan areas in the Philippines tend to have significantly better academic performance in fields such as mathematics and science compared to students who come from more rural parts of the country.
In the following, we will go through the education system of the Philippines in great length. This will include a discussion of both the primary and secondary school levels in the country, in addition to a discussion of the systems that are now in place for vocational and university education.
Structure of the Educational System in the Philippines:
Both formal and non-formal educational pathways are open to children and adults in the Philippines. The standard length of time spent obtaining a formal education is fourteen years, with the first six years spent in primary school, the next four spent in secondary school, and the final four spent in higher education, all of which culminate in the attainment of a bachelor’s degree. This is one of the least amount of time required to complete a formal education anywhere in the globe.
The academic school year in the Philippines starts in June and lasts through March, which makes for a total of forty weeks of classes during the course of the year. Every school of higher learning utilizes the semester system, which is comprised of a fall semester, a winter semester, and an optional summer term. Beginning at age 7, students are required to attend classes for a total of six years until they are 12. The first six years of a child’s educational career are spent in elementary school.
Despite the fact that English was the only language used in classrooms in the Philippines from 1935 to 1987, the country’s new constitution mandated that both Pilipino (Tagalog) and English are to be recognized as the official languages of instruction and communication in the country. After the primary school level, however, English is nearly always used as the language of teaching, particularly in the urban parts of the country and at the majority of the nation’s colleges.
The Department of Education is a federal agency that has offices located in each of the country’s 13 regions and is responsible for both the administration and oversight of the educational system. Historically speaking, it has been challenging for the government to provide complete funding for the entire education system. Because of this, the majority of the money that is set aside for education in the country is allocated to the elementary schools. As a direct result of this, public school enrolment at the elementary level is approximately 90 percent, although enrollment at the secondary level normally ranges somewhere between 75 and 80 percent.
Primary education in the Philippines consists of the following subjects:
All children in the Philippines are required to attend primary school for a total of six years. This level of education is considered mandatory. This level of education is comprised of a main cycle that lasts for four years and an intermediate cycle that lasts for two years. Students in the Philippines normally enter elementary school between the ages of six and seven in the nation’s public schools. On the other hand, children in the country’s private schools often start one year earlier and follow a seven-year curriculum rather than a six-year program.
Students are eligible for advancement from one grade level to the next at the conclusion of each academic year, provided they have met the academic requirements outlined for that particular grade level. Throughout the course of the school year, students will receive a grade in each and every subject. In most cases, the criteria for promotion are determined by using a points-based system that accumulates over time. Students are required to obtain at least 75 points out of a possible 100 in order to pass a grade. This corresponds to a score of 75%.
In the Philippines, children who are in grades one and two are taught, for the most part, in the regional vernacular of their home region. There are over 170 of these regional vernaculars spoken across the country, and the number is growing. Both English and Filipino are typically covered in a student’s secondary education. The remainder of the primary education, which includes grades three through six, is conducted in English. Courses in the social sciences and the humanities are conducted in Pilipino. Subjects such as mathematics and science are taught in English.
A primary school student receives a certificate of graduation from the institution where they studied after achieving a passing grade point average in each of the six grades that make up the primary school. There is no requirement for students to take a final test or an entrance exam in order to gain admission into the public secondary schools across the country.
The curriculum covered in each grade and each cycle of the primary school system is different from the one that came before it. You’ll probably remember that the elementary education system is broken up into two cycles:
The Initial Phase. Four years, from first to fourth grade (ages 6 to 11)
The Intermediate Cycle consists of Grades 5 and 6, which cover ages 11 to 13.
In each of the first six years of elementary school, students are instructed in a variety of fundamental subjects, with the level of difficulty of the material increasing from year to year. These include:
Language Arts (Pilipino, English and Local Dialect)
Mathematics
Health \sScience
Students in Grades 1-3 also study civics and culture, in addition to the essential subjects that have already been covered above. Students in grades 4-6 learn not just social studies but also physical education, music and art, home economics and livelihood, and home economics. All facets of education are infused with an emphasis on values education as well as “excellent manners and right conduct.”
In addition, the Makabayan is presented to each and every student in the primary level. Makabayan is a learning area that acts as a practice setting for holistic learning, as described by the Department of Education. It is also a location in which students develop a healthy personal and national sense of self-identity. This form of construction, in an ideal world, would consist of different pedagogical approaches known as integrative teaching, which would enable students to analyze and evaluate a wide range of knowledge and principles (cultural, vocational, aesthetic, economic, political and ethical).
Secondary Education in the Philippines Education in the Philippines:
In spite of the fact that attending secondary school in the Philippines is not obligatory, a significant number of students do so, particularly in the country’s more urban regions. When pupils reach this level, the percentage of students attending private schools is significantly larger than when they were younger. According to data provided by the United States Department of Education, around 21 percent of all secondary school students attend private high schools, which account for approximately 45 percent of all high schools in the country.
At the secondary school level, there are two primary categories of schools: general secondary schools and vocational secondary schools. Approximately 90 percent of all high school students attend general secondary schools. In addition, there are also a number of institutions that are referred to as “Science Secondary Schools.” These schools accept students who have exhibited a particular ability in mathematics, science, or technology while they were still in elementary school. When compared to its General Secondary School counterparts, the vocational high schools in the Philippines place a greater emphasis on training that is specifically geared toward a career path, as well as on the trades and the practical arts.
Students in secondary schools are evaluated four times during the course of the academic year, just as they were in elementary schools. Students who do not achieve a score of seventy-five percent or above in any one particular topic are required to retake that course, despite the fact that they are often allowed to advance to the following grade. A student is eligible to receive a secondary school graduation certificate if they have finished all four years of their secondary education and earned a grade point average of at least 75 percent or higher in all of their subjects.
Students who have successfully completed all six years of primary education are often granted automatic admission to public schools. However, most of the private secondary schools in the country have tough admission standards, and these requirements are typically based on a student’s result on an entrance exam. Examinations of a competitive nature are also used to determine who will be admitted to Science High Schools.
Secondary education consists of grades 7-10 and lasts for a total of four years, commencing for students when they are 12 or 13 years old and continuing until they are 16 or 17 years old. The type of educational program that pupils participate in is directly correlated to the school that they attend.
Schools of General Secondary Education:
Students who wish to attend one of the General Secondary Schools are required to successfully complete a wide array of classes. The subjects of language or communicative arts (English and Filipino), mathematics, science, technology, and social sciences are covered in this institution’s educational program (including anthropology, Philippine history and government, economics, geography and sociology). Additionally, students are required to participate in youth development training (which may include things like physical education, health education, music, and training for the citizen army), practical arts (which may include things like home economics, agriculture and fisheries, industrial arts, and entrepreneurship), values education, and a few electives, which may include topics from both academic and vocational pathways.
Secondary Education with a Vocational Focus:
Although students who choose to attend one of the country’s vocational secondary schools are still required to take and pass many of the same core academic subjects, they are also exposed to a greater concentration of technical and vocational subjects. This is because vocational secondary schools place a greater emphasis on preparing students for careers in specific industries. These secondary schools typically provide vocational and technical education in one of the following five major fields: agricultural, fisheries, trade/technical, home industry, and non-traditional courses with a variety of concentrations. In most cases, the geographical location of the school has a direct bearing on the kinds of professional fields that are available to students at the institution’s vocational schools. For instance, the fishing industry is one of the most well-liked career options available in areas that are near the seaside.
Students attending one of the nation’s vocational secondary schools are required to study a general vocational area during the first two years of their education there (see above). During the third and fourth years of their education, individuals are required to concentrate on developing expertise in a particular subfield within the larger occupational field. For instance, a student could spend the first two years of their education learning general trade and technical skills, and then spend the next two years focusing on cabinet making. Courses in theory and hands-on experience are required of students in every program offered in vocational secondary schools.
High Schools for the Secondary Sciences:
The Philippine Science High School System is a dedicated public system that functions as an affiliated agency of the Philippine Department of Science and Technology. The system’s mission is to educate students in scientific fields. There are nine regional campuses in all, with the main campus being located in Quezon City in the Philippines. Students are accepted on an individual basis, with consideration given to their performance in the Public Schools High School System National Competitive Examination. When attending college, students who have graduated from the PSHS are required by statute to major in either the pure or applied sciences, mathematics, or engineering.
The curricula that are taught in the nation’s 9 secondary science schools are quite comparable to those that are taught in the nation’s general secondary schools. Students adhere strictly to that curriculum path; but, in addition to that, they are required to successfully complete a number of more advanced courses in mathematics and science.
Students in the Philippines normally earn a diploma, also known as a Katibayan, from their respective high schools if they attend secondary school for a minimum of four years and graduate from one of the country’s secondary schools. In addition, the Department of Education bestows upon them the Certificate of Graduation from Secondary School (Katunayan) upon completion of their studies. Students who graduate also receive a Permanent Record, commonly known as Form 137-A, which details all of the classes they’ve taken and the grades they’ve received.
Higher Education in the Philippines Education in the Philippines:
At the time that this article was written, there were roughly 1,621 higher education institutions in the Philippines, of which approximately 1,445 (close to 90 percent) were in the private sector. Every year, there are roughly 2.5 million students who enroll in some level of higher education; approximately 66 percent of these students attend private universities.
There are around 112 state universities and colleges that have been chartered, and there are a total of 271 satellite campuses that make up the public institutions of higher learning. In addition, there are fifty universities in the surrounding area, in addition to a few public schools that are dedicated to providing technical, vocational, and educator training. In addition, instruction and education in the fields of military science and national security are offered by five distinct institutes of higher learning.
Before the year 1994, the Bureau of Higher Education, which was a section of the government agency that had previously been known as the Department of Education, Culture and Sports, was in charge of monitoring all colleges and universities. However, as of today, due to the passage of the Higher Education Act of 1994, an independent government agency known as the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is now responsible for providing general supervision and control over all colleges and universities in the country, including both public and private institutions. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is in charge of regulating the establishment of private higher education institutions, as well as their program offers, the creation of their curriculum, the specifications of their buildings, and the prices of their courses. When they reach a certain level of accreditation, private universities and colleges are required to comply with the regulations and orders issued by CHED. However, CHED does make an exception for a select number of private institutions by granting them autonomy or deregulated status in recognition of their committed service through the provision of quality education and research.
The Higher Education Act had an effect on postsecondary vocational education as well as on traditional postsecondary education. In 1995, legislation was passed that provided for the transfer of supervision of all non-degree technical and vocational education programs from the Bureau of Vocational Education, which was also under the control of the Department of Education, to a new and independent agency that is now known as the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). TESDA is an acronym for the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). Since TESDA was established, there has been a greater emphasis placed on and support provided for programs of technical education that do not lead to a degree.
CHED is a system that is designed after the regional accreditation system that is utilized in the United States, and it allows higher education institutions to seek for volunteer certification through its organization. Accreditation can be achieved at one of the following levels:
Level I awards applicant status to educational institutions that have successfully completed an initial review and have demonstrated the ability to achieve accredited status within two years.
At this level, the administration is completely deregulated, while the curriculum has only a limited amount of autonomy. Priority is given to finance assistance and subsidies for faculty development at this level.
At this level, schools are allowed complete leeway in the development of their curricula, including the option to provide distant learning opportunities.
Universities at this level are eligible for grants and subsidies from the Higher Education Development Fund and are granted full autonomy from the monitoring and control of the government. Level IV. Universities are eligible for grants and subsidies from the Higher Education Development Fund.
Instruction at a University
The Philippine system of higher education, in terms of how credits are earned and degrees are awarded, has a remarkable resemblance to the system used in the United States. Possession of a high school Certificate of Graduation is required for entry into Philippine universities and other institutions of higher education, and in some cases, the results of the National Secondary Achievement Test (NSAT), or in many colleges and universities, the results of their own entrance examinations, are also required. In addition, some cases require the results of the National Secondary Achievement Test (NSAT).
Higher education in the Philippines is often broken down into three different degree levels: Bachelor (Batsilyer), Master (Masterado), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) (Doktor sa Pilospiya).
Bachelor Degrees:
In the Philippines, the duration of the required coursework for a bachelor’s degree is a minimum of four years. The first two years of a student’s college education are typically devoted to the study of general education courses (63 credit hours), with each class counting toward the student’s intended major for the third and fourth years of their school. There are several bachelor’s degree programs, such as those in agriculture, pharmacy, and engineering, that require five years to finish rather than four.
Master Degrees:
Master’s degrees in the Philippines are normally earned by students after a full-time study period of two years, which is followed by either a minor thesis or a comprehensive exam. Students must hold a bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline and have earned an average grade of 2.00 or above, 85 percent of the possible points, or a B average, in order to be eligible for a master’s degree program. After completing a bachelor’s degree, students can then continue their education by enrolling in some professional degree programs. These programs, on the other hand, last for a lot longer than the typical two years of schooling.
PhD Degrees:
In the Philippines, earning a PhD, which is often referred to as a Doctor of Philosophy degree, requires students to complete a substantial amount of coursework in addition to a dissertation that can account for anywhere from one-fifth to one-third of the total grade. A Master’s degree with a B average or more is required as a bare minimum for entry into any of the nation’s PhD programs, which all have highly stringent admissions standards. After earning a Master’s degree, students often enroll in a doctoral program that lasts between two and four years. This does not include the amount of time necessary to finish the dissertation. The student must first get the professors at the university where they are currently enrolled to give their blessing before choosing a topic for their dissertation.
Higher Learning Outside of Universities (Vocational and Technical)
In recent years, there has been a surge in interest in education that focuses on vocations and technical skills in the Philippines. Schools and institutes that focus on technical and vocational education typically provide training in a diverse array of fields, such as agriculture, fisheries, technical trades, technical education, hotel and restaurant management, crafts, business studies, secretarial studies, and interior and fashion design. To be eligible for enrollment in one of the nation’s post-secondary vocational institutions, prospective students must provide both their high school diploma and a Certificate of Graduation in order to demonstrate that they meet the requirements for admission. The outcomes of vocational and technical programs are either a certificate or a diploma. The certificate is frequently referred to as a Certificate of Proficiency. The Professional Regulation Commission of the Philippines is in charge of regulating training courses for 38 distinct professions and coordinating the certification processes for each of those professions.Bosnia and Herzegovinia
