The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1901-08-26
THE PHILIPPINE SCHOOLS.
A Report on Educational COndi-
tons by Prof. Atkinson.
Sufficient Number of Teachers to
Garry on the WOrk-Necd Of Suit
nbic HuiIdings-The Outlook Re
Enrded Cheerful and Hopeful.

frof- FRED w. Atkinson, General super
intendent of Public instruction for tn
Philippines, has sent to the lnsular Di
vision of the War Department his annua
report upon the schools Of the islands, an,
the educational system there. covering tn
period from the enactment Of the Philip
pine school law by the Commission to tn
close CT the fiscal year ended June 30. 1891
lie states in opening that of the leo
teachers authorized by the law to be ap
pointed from the United States, Isl ha,
been selected at the time the report wa
written. He also points out that Their,
was no scarcity of candidates in the isl
snds. for there were received at the head
quarters of the superintendent in Manil;
more than 5000 personally written appli
cations with testimonials appended. o
this number there We're 4SI application!
from soldiers discharged. or about t, b,
discharged, and upon examination 70 wer.
found to be proficient and were appointed
as teachers and assigned to schools
The next step in the organization OF
the educational system was the district
ing of the archipelago into eighteen divis
Ions, the school work of each being placed
In charge of a division superintendent
The general superintendent personally
visited large number of towns for the
purpose of acquaintinE himself as init
m6tely as possible with the conditions sur
rounding the school work in different To-
calities. In speaking of the general CON
ditions, Prof. Atkinson says:
1.-The greatest present need is that of
adequate and suitable school buildings.
All school buildings occupied by soldiers
or in any way used for military purposes
should be vacated and turned over to the
school authorities at the earliest practi-
cable moment and arrangement should be
made for the rent vacation of all con-
ventos or other church property now used
for school purposes. Nearly all the build
tngs that have been used for military pur
poses are in poor condition. /; will be
necessary for the municipalities to spend
money for their alteration and repair.
Present school buildings consist, generally,
of one or two large rooms, with several
teachers carrying on work in each room.
These rooms are everywhere overcrowd-
ed and many have no windows or floors.
Sometimes one teacher has one to two
hundred pupils.
THE education of girls has not been
thought as important as that of boys.
Wherever a school for boys is estab-
hshed, 1t will be the policy to establish
one for girls, either in a building near
the boys or under the same roof as the
boys school, but completely separate
with its own entrance and Fairgrounds.
Indian education in the United States
was not successful until just as good ar
rangements were made for the girls, the
mothers of the coming generation
Prof. Atkinson makes quotations from
some of the reports submitted. the fol-
lowing extracts from which Will indicate
the status of the work during the past
year Major Cornelius Gardener, Gov
ernor of Tayabas province, says:
In all the large pueblos there are
schools in operation for both sexes. at
which English is taught by American
teachers. besides the native teachers who
teach Tagalo. In all but six of the small
pueblos schools are in operation under
native teachers. After a period of war
lasting nearly five years. during which
time schools Were ruined or destroyed
and school furniture broken up. there is
much to be done to rehabilitate matters
In these lines. The people. however. are
yearning for school facilities for their
children and are doing everything in
their power in that direction. Children
and grown people are all anxious TO learn
English. and in nearly every pueblo
where there is an English teacher night
classes are being formed. Tagalo chill
dren. both male and female, are the most
precocious 1 have ever seen, very bright
and studious, and exceedingly well be-
haved. There are five pueblos in my
province who desire each to send a boy
to the United States to be educated the
expense to be paid by popular subscrip-
tion.
Heretofore general education was
opl nY1ite
number were encouraged and permitted
to study Spanish. The people appreciate
American efforts for general education.
and they acknowledge the manifest good
Intentions of our Government in their
behalf If properly managed hereafter
the bureau of education in these islands,
with good American teachers in every
pueblo, can be more beneficial than troops
in preventing future revolutions. When
the children are on our side We naturally
have the mothers and the mothers, espe-
cially among the Tasalogs, carry the in
DR. David p. Barrows. City Superinten-
dent of Schools for Manila. reports upon |
the question of local support of schools, |
inviting attention to the fact that the
O griculturai land is in large holdings and |
q large proportion of the products must |
go for rents In the absence of land |
tax, which was unknown under the Span |
fish regime, and none patterned upon the |
he cites enc pueblo where local revenues |
are so small that the policeman gets only |
5 pesos per month, the native man teach |
er 10 pesos. and woman teacher pesos. |
He then adds
"In general the condition of the prov
ince impressed ne as reassuring and
hopeful. In the province of Pampanga,
the effects of strife seem to be the most |
lasting. 1t will probably require sever
al years, even in this surprisingly recup-
erative country, to restore this district
to 4 normally thriving condition"
Benguet province has school popula-
ton of some 8 100. with seventeen pueblos, |
only three of which have ever had
school of any kind. and only four of |
which now have school buildings. Gov |
ernor Whitmarsh estimated that with the
cheap native labor 80 in gold would cover
the expense of each building needed.
AS an instance of the interest prevail |
Ing among the people. 1t is stated that /
nightly for the study of English. Major
John G. Balance reported from Vigan:
Native male and female teac. erS are
employed in all Of the sixty-six towns
and In many of the barrios of this dis
trict AS a rule they are not efficient.
but they are the best obtainable under
present circumstances In the provinces
" Abra, North llocos, South llocos, and
Union. there are 1875 public schools. zs3
teachers. and Il, s32 scholars.
Captain Peed, detailed on duty in the
province OF Batangas, reports for last
March. /! schools. 2273 children in school,
} English teachers. and q native teach
ers. The field calls for very large in
1iyidual effort on the part of the teach
er, and will continue TO Go so until the
elementary foundation is so firmly fixed |
that IL may be enlarged. The enthusiasm
Of the people and the children in behalf |
Of the public schools is one of the aus
piciOus signs OF The times"
Al. a.. L.. 7