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.

430 EDUCATIONAL SURVEY OF THE PHILIPPINES

A PROPOSED PROGRAM OF TEACHER TRAINING
FUNDAMENTAL POLICIES.-From the foregoing general discussion
and from the description of the handicaps under which the normal schools
are operating, emerge the general policies which should be adopted.
The wise procedure to be followed for the purpose of raising the level
of teacher preparation in the Philippine school system is clearly indicated.
The situation calls for two main policies, neither of which will be
effective without the other. In the first place, a feasible minimum requirement of a certain number of years of technical training which every
person must meet before he can be appointed to a teaching position
should be established. In the second place, the machinery for giving
to properly-selected persons the most effective training possible in the
required number of years should be created; and any agencies established under other than public auspices should be required to give
training of equal quality before their product is admitted to the teaching
ranks.
Little will be accomplished in bringing about the desired end: (1) If
the requirement for training is not made and adhered to. (2) If the
requirement made is not justified by the economic condition of the
country. (3) If the training machinery established is not an efficient
one. (4) If the persons to whom the training is given be not of the sort
who can profit thereby.
TRAINING REQUIREMENT.-The only technical question in regard
to the first of these policies is: "What is the feasible minimum?" It has
already been pointed out that the controlling factors lie outside of the
field of education and are economic in their nature. In so far as this
situation may be judged from direct observation and by inference from
policies already found to be practicable by the Bureau, the establishment
of a requirement of four years of technical training beyond the seventh
grade seems entirely feasible. To this standard a temporary exception
should perhaps be made in the cases of certain provinces where it is
thought to be clearly impracticable at the moment. Experience will show
how long these temporary exceptions must continue. They will be
shortened by offering, as the economic situation warrants, slightly higher
salaries to persons who can meet the higher requirement. If in these exceptional provinces an offer of increased salary induces persons to take
additional training, or, if persons, possessing the complete four years of
preparation and not finding employment elsewhere, accept the salaries
being offered to those with the lower preparation, the requirements obviously can be brought to the general level.
The date at which the requirements may safely be raised to a yet
higher level can be determined in the same way. But this step should