The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-01-15
EDUCATION IN PHILIPPINES.

The report of the Department of Pub
lie Instruction for the Philippines is
dated Manila, August H. 1900, and has
just appeared in print. At the date of
the report Superintendent Atkinson's
work had not commenced, Captain
Todd of the Sixth Artillery being in
charge Of the department.
At the time of the report the depart
ment was busy distributing school
books and stationery to the schools out
side Manila. These consisted of pur-
chases from the United States and
stock of books taken over from the
Spanish government, prepared for what
they were pleased to call their public
schools. These books We're mainly PAM
phlets, poorly printed, and most of
them dealt with instruction in religion
embodying the tenets of the Roman
Catholic church. These had to be used
in default of better.
The difficulty in the Philippines has
been the paucity of teachers, the lack
of school accommodation, and the lack
of school material. 1t is interesting to
note the lines upon which it is proposed
that the school system should work.
In Hawaii it was plainly seen in 1887
that if the Hawaiians We're to hold
their own permanently in the race Of
,ifa tbe,, must Ia aducatad in ENGLISH
moi +augb+ r,nolisb as an exotic hut
taught it as something to be used.
Years before it had been Minister
Armstrong; desire to bring such a con-
!, 10
able reports show. But the plan was
never carried out. The main education
continued to be carried on Hawaiian
That this was a mistake. and a serious
mistake. no one can now deny. That it
was an honest mistake no one can con-
trovent The idea was that by keeping
the Hawaiians to their own language
they would not learn the vices and
wickedness Of the outer world
The result of the change made COM
menced in 1857 and brought to some
kind of system in 1890 was that practi-
cally every ha"allah emu going 10
school was oeIlls tausnt III 'he Enslisn
lang uase from Ins''Sh oooNS' anu
HdilSlaIlIls lapollouSIS lloll ha""liah
INTO Ehsllsh ana retaining Ihe 'u'o'hS
anu cast oi thought u 'He loIliler'
"Hat the present NUMBER Oh haNailalis
VINO can READ ana write Ehglsh may
DE cannot De toio until the census Bu-
Feau informs US IN 1880 OF zz'E4s Ha-
wanans "Ho cou'u Ie"u ana WIFE, oo1'
could read and write English. There
were 1919 attending government and in
dependent schools This would leaYe
the number of adults who could read
and write Enghsh as comparatively
small Inc adult popuiation aple 10
read ana write EhFiish III lSoo ought 70
De very cohslueraple'
Those who are in charge of the edu-
cation in the Philippines make no such
mistake as was made here. They have
presented themselves with the problem
of teaching English from the outset
and of making English the current Ian
guage of the country as the following
suggestions made in the report show.
l. That a comprehensive modern
school system. for the teaching of ele-
mentary English. be inaugurated at the
earliest possible moment, and that at
tendance be made compulsory Wherever
practicable.
2. That industrial schools for manual
training be established as soon as a fair
knowledge of English has been ac-
quired.
8. That all the schools under Govern
ment control be conducted in the Eng
fish language so far as in any way