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.

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

649

university financial procedure, university accounting was by no means
an exact science. In recent years, accountants trained in academic as
well as financial administration have introduced new and better systems.
With a State university, the intrduction of such a system is usually more
difficult because it must conform to the requirements of an accounting
system primarily adapted to other public functions and offices, than with
an endowed institution. This difficulty is met in the University of the
Philippines. When the Commission requested the Secretary to explain
the procedure in the preparation of the University budget, he replied in
writing as follows:
1. Upon receipt of notification from the Secretary of Finance as to the submission
of estimates for the ensuing year, the President of the University requests the Deans
and Directors of the various colleges and schools to prepare and submit estimates of expenditures of their respective units.
2. The data thus submitted are gathered and compiled.
3. The President revises the estimates and after revision submits them to the Committee on Finance of the Board of Regents for study, report, and recommendation to
the Board.
4. After the estimates have been considered and approved by the Board, they are
forwarded on the attached forms to the Secretary of Finance for inclusion in the
general budget which goes to the Legislature.
5. If the request of the University is not granted in full, the amount allotted by the
Legislature is again redistributed by the Board of Regents to the different colleges, in
accordance with the recommendation of the President made as a result of consultation
with each Dean and Director as to the needs of his particular unit for the current year.
As far as it goes this procedure is excellent. But it must be noted
that each college and, as far as the Commission is aware, each department, classifies its expenditures according to a method of its own. There
is no uniform system of classifying proposed expenditure in order to
secure advance estimates from the various departments and colleges in
making up the budget. The organization of some simple scheme of
classification of expenditures printed upon identical blanks and distributed to the heads of departments for a statement of estimates would
be much better. Similarly after the distribution of the amounts allotted
to each unit, department heads should be furnished with requisition
blanks to be filled out in duplicate. Each department requisition
having the approval of the dean should carry a statement of the balance
still available in the department funds. This should be certified to by
the accountant. Only in some such way can adequate comparison of
receipts and expenditures by years be kept up and a real knowledge
be obtained over a succession of years of the financial affairs of the
University and of its divisions.
Proper financial reporting is second in importance only to proper
budgeting. The Bureau of Education at Washington insists that such