A survey of the educational system of the Philippine islands by the Board of educational survey, created under acts 3162 and 3196 of the Philippine Legislature.

BOARD OF EDUCATIONAL SURVEY REPORT

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should at least have the privilege of paying as much as they desire for
the support of their own schools.
(5) The present plan of depending quite extensively on voluntary
contribution for the support of schools is socially unjust. In a scheme
of voluntary contributions the wealthy citizen does not carry his proportionate share of the burden. Although social justice requires that
he carry a share proportionate to his wealth, a contribution slightly in
excess of what the poorer citizens pay will suffice. Again the citizen
without or with few children escapes with an unjustly small share.
(6) The main political reasons for advocating a system of local
tax support for schools and a gradual increase of local participation
in the control of schools is as follows: Ability in self-government can
only be developed through its exercise. If self-government is to be
achieved such exercise must include all the people in its scope. That
there exists a small body of competent leaders is not sufficient. Such a
condition constitutes an oligarchy and is not self-government. The competence of the Filipino people to maintain and operate political institutions can only be demonstrated by the maintenance of a wide, even a
universal, scheme of efficient, honest, intelligent local government. One
step in this direction can well be taken in the affairs of education.
Already the people have great interest in their schools and they desire
to participate in the support of education.
(7) In most countries, especially in all governments democratic in
operation, the support of public schools, chiefly by means of local taxation and local cooperation, is an essential feature. In practically all
the states of the American Union, taxes locally raised constitute more
than 50 per cent and in many of them more than 75 per cent of the
school-tax fund. Similar policies prevail in Great Britain and her
colonies and many other European countries. General experience has
shown, with but few exceptions, that an efficient public-school system
reaching any large proportion of the people, an intelligent public opinion
regarding education, and an enthusiastic public support of education,
depend upon a policy which gives the local communities much responsibility and some latitude of choice in regard to support of schools.
This does not mean that the Insular Government should refuse to continue
its contributions for educational purposes. For some time it should
and no doubt must provide the major portion of the school revenues.
But, until all children of school age are reached, and an efficient system
properly staffed, supervised, equipped, and administered, is maintained,
these funds should be so allocated as to call forth a larger contribution
on the part of the local communities.
DISTRIBUTION OF INSULAR AID.-In the course of time a large
share of the cost of education may be shifted from the central to the