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.

362 EDUCATIONAL SURVEY OF THE PHILIPPINES
ational interest. If the problem of holding a virile population on the
land is to be solved, much attention will have to be given to the enrichment of the recreational life. Certainly the problem is not wholly an
economic one. The farm seems unattractive to young men and women
because of its recreational poverty. If, through the schools, the efficiency of agricultural production and the return to the farmer be greatly
increased, there is no reason for believing that boys and girls will care
to remain on the farm. Such a condition may simply make it possible
for the farm owner to move to the city the more quickly and to rent
his holding to a tenant. Life in the rural community must be made
more significant through the development of wholesome social and recreational interests.
The rural high school should set itself deliberately to the task of
developing these interests. Through the formal curriculum the pupil
should be stimulated to develop habits of reading that will carry over
into the leisure hours. This cannot be accomplished by emphasizing,
as is customary at present, the reading of selections because of their
literary quality. Nor can it be achieved by requiring a meticulous and
tedious study of what is read. A wide range of good books should
be selected simply because the boys and girls of this age like them, and
then pupils should be encouraged to read as many of these books as
they are able. Music should also be included as an important element
in the program. And here the object of the instruction should not be
to develop a mastery of the technique and grammar of music but rather
an interest in music itself. The pupils should be provided with the
opportunity to sing songs which they like to sing. From these experiences they should be led to other and richer musical experiences.
Moreover, in both the reading and the music the achievements in the
native culture should receive recognition.
Perhaps the most effective way to develop recreational interest in
the pupils is to provide them with a certain amount of leisure during
the school day. At this time, under limited supervision and guidance,
they should be encouraged to engage in activities possessing recreational value. These activities should include athletic contests, games,
songs, dances, and festivals, and social gatherings of various kinds.
The school should enter into the life of the community at this point and
seek to develop and improve it. The native customs should receive
recognition, and these should be supplemented by suitable customs of
other peoples. It is, of course, obvious that these activities which are
outside the formal curriculum may be made to serve certain of the
other objectives of the school. Through the athletic games and contests health may be promoted, and through placing responsibility on