The most recent addition of European Education features four great papers that each discuss the ways that European education was implemented outside of Europe. One of these is by Erin P. Hardacker. She is a doctoral student in Educational Policy Studies and Southeast Asian History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her research interests include colonial education systems and policies, civic and language education in American and colonial contexts, and the history of childhood. Her paper is entitled "The Impact of Spain’s Educational Decree of 1863 on the Spread of Philippine Public Schools and Language Acquisition." An abstract is provided below, and if it piques your interest, you can find out more about subscriptions here.
"The Impact of Spain’s Educational Decree of 1863 on the Spread of Philippine Public Schools and Language Acquisition"
"The Impact of Spain’s Educational Decree of 1863 on the Spread of Philippine Public Schools and Language Acquisition"
The Educational Decree of 1863 was an effort by Spain to reform the Philippine colonial education system. The Decree established a complete system of education in the archipelago—it required two elementary schools in each municipality (one for girls and one for boys), standardized the curriculum, and established normal schools, thus making systematized education available to the masses. In the nineteenth century, educational opportunities opened to a segment of society previously kept under control by the religious orders through a selective curriculum of rudimentary academics and a heavy dose of catechism. The colonial logic was to create a cadre of clerks and officials in service of the new, liberal colonial state, but the Educational Decree of 1863 had an impact the reverse of what Spain intended. The formal system of education created in the Philippines under Spain, even when unevenly implemented, provided Filipinos with the tools to function outside of colonial rule.
