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.

SECONDARY EDUCATION

315

of space seems to be given to pointing out the weaknesses and dangers
inherent in current practice and to suggesting improvements, the reader
will understand that this is not because the members of the Survey
Commission are unmindful of the energy, intelligence, and devotion
which have entered into the creation of the existing system of secondary
schools, nor because they fail to see the merits which this system possesses,
but rather because they wish their report to be of maximum usefulness
to those in charge of secondary education in the Philippines.
THE PRESENT SYSTEM OF SECONDARY EDUCATION
The present system of secondary education in the Philippine Islands
consists of 86 high schools, of which 55 are regular and 31 are
vocational. Although vocational work of some kind is often offered
in this regular high school, its curriculum is predominantly academic.
Of the 55 schools of this type, 1 is a one-year, 7 are two-year, 5 are
three-year, and 42 are four-year schools. The 31 vocational schools
may likewise be classified into two-year, three-year, and four-year
schools. Moreover, 5 of these schools are normal schools, 9 are trade
schools, 15 are agricultural and farm schools, 1 is a nautical school,
and 1 is a commercial school. This system of secondary education is
based upon seven years of elementary schooling.
In these schools there are offered eight courses or curricula: general,
domestic science, normal, commercial, trade, farming, surveying, and
nautical. With the exception of the first, each of these terms gives
a rough description of the materials and instruction included. This
general course is composed altogether of the academic subjects, carries
on the old tradition of secondary education, and prepares for college
and the professions. Each of the other seven courses is supposed to
prepare rather definitely for the vocation or calling suggested. Thus
the reader will observe that an effort has been made to organize a
system of education that takes into account the major economic interests of the population.
TABLE 23.-NUMBER OF PUPILS ENROLLED IN THE DIFFERENT SECONDARY-SCHOOL
CURRICULA IN SEPTEMBER, 1924
Number Per cent Number Per cent
General................... 35,083 74.0 Farming................. 1,805 3.8
Domestic science........... 2,411 5.1 Surveying............... 57.1
Normal................... 6,301 13.2 Nautical................. 43.1
Commercial............... 597 1.3 Total.............. 47419 100.0
Trade.................... 1,122 2.4
A glance, however, at Table 23 reveals the fact that certain of
these courses are apparently not functioning well. Of the 47,419
pupils enrolled in the high schools in September, 1924, practically