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.

2 EDUCATIONAL SURVEY OF THE PHILIPPINES

the Philippines will constitute a splendid measure of political and social
competence. Those in authority in the Islands, both Americans and
Filipinos, have shown wisdom in requesting a careful examination of
their educational system. They have provided the Board with every
facility calculated to make the examination thorough and impartial.
The more difficult task of using the findings of the report intelligently
and effectively in improving education in the Philippines, yet remains.
Persons occupying responsible positions in the system have been
long in the service and have contributed much to the educational achievement of the Islands. It would be unfortunate if their interest in justify- >
ing existing procedure should arouse in them a defensive attitude inimical to the realization of the aims of the Survey. The Board's
sole interest in the manner in which the report is received lies in its
regard for the welfare of the Filipino people. In defense of the report
as such they have no concern. To this survey the members of the
Commission employed by the Board have brought experience in survey
work in the United States and a familiarity with the school work of many
countries, Latin-American, European, and Oriental. The school systems of at least twelve of these countries have been studied intimately
by members of the Commission. The suggestion has been often made
that in so short a visit as the present one the members of the Commission
could not acquire a proper knowledge of the Philippine background.
But one of the difficulties of the Philippine system is that it has been
compelled to base its procedures so largely upon its own experiences.
The function of the Survey as conceived by the members of the Board
is to bring to bear upon Philippine problems some of the experiences
furnished by recent experimentation and by practice in other countries.