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.

312 EDUCATIONAL SURVEY OF THE PHILIPPINES

mentary teacher, followed by not less than two years of notably successful experience in that field, this in turn followed by not less than a
year of well-planned training specifically designed as preparation for
supervisory and administrative work. So far as is possible, principals
should be selected from persons who have had the same training. For
the present, however, appointment to a principalship may be a preliminary step in definitely selecting persons to be encouraged to take the
training required of supervisors.
It is advised that this course for preparing supervisors be offered in the
College of Education of the University of the Philippines. The
feasibility of the plan depends upon the willingness of that College
to offer the necessary courses and to admit to full collegiate standing
the persons who have taken teacher training as their secondary-school
course. The necessary courses would be very limited in number and
should be directed very specifically toward the work which students are
preparing to undertake. If this be not done, the necessary courses will
have to be offered in one or more of the normal schools.
If it were impossible to gain the cooperation of the University in
enforcing it, the prerequisite of two years' experience between finishing
the normal course and undertaking the supervisory course, could be
enforced by refusing appointment to persons not fulfilling this requirement. If it should be necessary to call upon the normal schools to
offer this training for supervisors, it is strongly urged that the school in
Manila be not selected. The attraction toward Manila is strong enough
for able young people, without exposing them unnecessarily to its influence during a period of training which has for its purpose to prepare them to go into the very different situations of essentially rural
communities.
The objection may be offered that the suggested standard of training
for supervisors is too low, requiring but one year of work on the collegiate level. The answer to this objection is to be found in the table
showing the training of the actual supervisory staff. The median
attainment is complete secondary education. The proposed requirement
adds a year above this. A more radical raising of the standard could
hardly be considered feasible.
To raise very markedly the quality of supervision should be comparatively easy. An admirable field organization exists. The personnel is of a high quality. The larger number of the supervisors in
service would carry efficiently larger responsibilities entrusted to them.
It is only necessary that emphasis be shifted from the inspectorial to
the helping aspect of their work. Once this change is made there is
every reason to believe that the system of supervision of the Philippine
schools will take rank among the most effective yet developed.