The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-08-26
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
IN PHILIPPINES
Are Plenty of Teachers But Few
Suitable Buildings.
GIRLS TO BE EDUCATED
ENGLISH WILL BE LANGUAGE
USED IN ALL INSTITUTIONS.

Washington, Aug 25.-The division
Of insular affairs, war department has
received a copy of the annual report of
Professor Fred w. Atkinson. the gen
eraI superintendent of public instruc-
ton for the Philippines, which covers
the time from the enactment of the
Philippine school law to the close Of the
last fiscal year, June 80, 1901.
The school law mentioned authorized
the appointment from the United
States of 900 school teachers, OF whom
Professor Atkinson says Isl had been
appointed. There was no scarcity of
material from which to make the Sc
lection, more than 5000 personal writ
ten applications having been filed.
Speaking of the general conditions,
Professor Atkinson said:
The great present need is that of
adequate and suitable school buildings.
Present school buildings consist, gen
orally, Of one or two large rooms with
several teachers carrying on work in
each room These rooms are every
N aere overcr6Wded and many have no
windows OF floors. Sometimes one
teacher has 100 to 200 pupils"
The education of girls has not been
thought as important as that of boys,
but wherever n school for boys is es-
tablished it viii be the policy to es-
tablish one for girls. Evening schools
bic, arousing great interest upon the
part Of the people. One high school at
the capital of each province will be es-
tablished in 1907. DR.. BaTTOWs. city
superintendent of schools of Manila,
reports of the first six months of his
work;
Change Of Language.
THE most significant change is that
which has takea place in the attitude Of
II. L.
plan was adopted of having the teach
ers of English devote at least the last
half hour OF the forenoon to the in
struction of the Filipino teachers and
at the same time the announcement
was made that very. shortly Spanish.
as a medium Of instruction, would be
abandoned.
with 2 very few exceptions, the
teachers accepted the proposed change
OF language, and their attitude has now
become one of real eagerneSS for the
adoption of English. They have also
So far progressed in their knowledge
of English that it would be possible,
with the opening of school in June,
1901 to use only English. Almost with
out exception our teachers are beCOm-
ing appreciably more loyal to their
work and more conscientious in its dis
charge.
1.-THE question of religious instruc-
ton in the schools has also been set
tied and without friction or any loss
in the attendance Of pupils. Upon re-
ceipt of an official copy of act No. 4
OF the Philippine commission, which
fOrbids any religious instruction BY the
teachers. comprehensive order was
issued fOrbidding the practice Of re-
ligiOuS devotion or their employment
as means Of punishment, the discOntin-
uance of all teaching of the catechism
or religious doctrine and the removal
from the school Of all books containing
figures, emblems, placards, etc.
These orders were in every case
complied with There was no protest
from either parents or teachers, and as
above stated, no diminuti0n Of the at
tendance, the school year closing with
the largest attendance in the history
Of these public schools. To many Of
the teachers the change was apparent
~ welcome