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.

398 EDUCATIONAL SURVEY OF THE PHILIPPINES

and of organizing these materials into a form adapted to the needs of
instruction, is perhaps the central problem which the secondary school
faces. At almost every point the curriculum shows its American parentage, at almost every point it is ill-adapted to the social life and
needs of the Filipino people. At least for a number of years, therefore,
one of the major functions of the department of secondary education
should be to develop the curriculum. Each of the special supervisors
should gather about him in this work the most able and scientifically
minded teachers and principals in the schools of his department and
through the organization of committees collect and organize materials
for the different fields of subject matter. This does not mean that they
should be drawn out of their schools and placed in offices in Manila.
Quite the contrary is intended and desired. While during their periods
of service on these committees, they should be relieved of certain of their
duties in the high school, they should be in constant contact with the
pupils and the problems of the school. Only in this way can the materials of instruction be adapted to the abilities, aptitudes, and needs
of Filipino boys and girls.
The second great function of this department of secondary education
should be that of supervision. By supervision is not meant the inspection
of schools and teachers to discover if they are violating the regulations
of the central office. The general supervisor and each of the special
supervisors should spend most of their time in the high schools of the
Islands. They should be constantly moving from school to school
lending courage and giving counsel to the workers in the field. They
should be real educational leaders who see the possibilities of achievement
in human society and who regard the high school as an instrument
through which men may lift themselves to a better and more humane
order of living. All conscientious teachers and principals should look
forward to the visits of these supervisors to their schools and should
receive from them both inspiration and technical guidance.
The high-school principal should be given practical autonomy in the
conduct of his school. His present relationship with the division superintendent should be modified. The status of the high school should
be somewhat different from that of the elementary school. If the
high-school principal is at all fitted for his job, he should know immeasurably more about secondary education than the division superintendent. There is ample need for all the knowledge and energies of the
latter in the improvement of the lower schools. Moreover, certain of
these schools, the normal and academic high schools more particularly,
should eventually be regional rather than provincial schools. They,
therefore, cannot be placed under the division superintendent. And it