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.

140 EDUCATIONAL SURVEY OF THE PHILIPPINES

Their ability to solve arithmetical problems expressed in English is
greater than that of typical fourth-grade pupils now. That all of
these groups of adults grow in arithmetical-problem ability after leaving
school is significant indeed. The increases is due, no doubt, to their
daily contact with quantitative matters in buying and selling.
The results for five years of education, however, were markedly better.
Twenty-six graduates of the fifth grade read practically as well as
fifth-graders do now; they receive dictation and spell as well as present
fifth-graders and their verbal skill in solving arithmetical problems is as
great as that of sixth-graders. The number of individuals making up
the group is small, so that no positive generalizations can be drawn.
Taken in connection with the results for third-graders, fourth-graders,
and seventh-graders, however, these facts appear to be significant.
Without doubt, a real constructive residue from school attendance is
left. There is developed in the school, in all probability, the basis for
an appreciation of the value of education; the desire to educate the next
generation to a higher level than the present one attained; a growing
recognition of the importance to the Filipino people of a grasp of a
common language; an appreciation of the value of social cooperation,
and the like. These are, certainly, valuable outcomes of the present
mechanical, memoriter methods of language instruction. These outcomes, however, inhere in any system of instruction. In the meantime,
one of the great objectives of the primary school-namely, the acquisition of practical reading control over the English language-is not being
sufficiently well attained.
We would make much of the relation of these measurements to the
holding power of the school. The test results reveal clearly the greater
permanence of language ability with longer residence in school. Taken
in connection with the wide-spread measurement in the schools, these
adult measurements press home two important conclusions:
First. The rank and file of children must be kept in school longerwe believe not less than five years-to guarantee relatively permanent
control of English:
Second. Methods of instruction must be decidedly improved.
After mature deliberation, the Commission has reached the conclusion
that the present huge expenditure for primary education is largely
wasted, unless children can either be kept in school longer or taught by
methods efficient enough to compensate for the shorter stay.
That it is possible through efficient methods of instruction to raise the
level of linguistic skill by one to two years to a grade, we believe has
been established in the preceding section. If fourth-grade graduates
can leave the school with as much control, even as third-grade American
pupils, as adults, they may certainly be expected to show a marked