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.

BOARD OF EDUCATIONAL SURVEY REPORT 33

Furthermore, because of late entrance of children, ill-prepared
teachers, and eagerness for large attendance, many children are kept
in school with little profit to themselves. Either through lack of mental
ability, lack of interest, or lack of earlier preparation many are unable
to do the work of the school. Children should not be allowed to
repeat school grades indefinitely. Repetition does them little good; it
does others much harm. Children are frequently promoted when not
prepared.
It would be far better, first, if there were fewer children in school
until such time as a sufficient supply of adequately-trained teachers is
at hand; second, if promotions were not made except on substantial basis;
third, if repeaters were eliminated after a second failure, provided always that the failure, is in an educational essential, not in a wholly
subordinate subject; fourth, if the high-school attendance was greatly
restricted in ways to be discussed later. Certainly, there is little value
to the individual and great economic loss to the community in allowing
high-school pupils to repeat more than once.
UNIVERSAL EDUCATION.-That every child should have an elementary schooling is the ideal of all modern public education. Such
a consummation is recognized as one of the fundamental objects and
obligations of the modern State. But the realization of such an end
cannot be attained within a single generation. The progress, however,
which has been made toward this goal within the brief space of a
score of years gives to the Philippine educational system special interest
to the observer.
According to the substance of the study made by the Commission
such rapid progress towards this end has been made during the last few
years that the quality of the education given has been sacrificed. If
formal school training of from two to four years is accepted as fulfilling
the general social obligation to the school children, the Filipino people
are indulging in a serious case of self-deception. The professional
means of remedying this situation are discussed elsewhere in this report.
Through a body of trained teachers and a selection of materials of
instructions that will make the education givenfunction in the life of the
child, the State can adequately discharge this obligation.
The practical material means for securing these ends remain to be
provided. In subsequent chapters of the report is outlined a general
estimate of the public cost involved in accomplishing the immediate reforms advocated. What the larger costs in the future will be cannot be
forecasted. That the funds at present devoted to school purposes are
adequate to give a primary education to only about one-third of the
children of the Islands, is an outstanding fact. It is also clear from
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