TITLE: EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUMS OF PHILIPPINES AND

GERMANY: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

INTRODUCTION:

With the fast shifting of the world of education, the government

investments in education have led to substantial advances in standard

indicators of learning conditions and to support the education system to

compete globally. Since the era of society was created until the present

day, education is the most concern issue in the society. In fact, the

former Education Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro with the support of the

Philippine government initiated the extension of the country’s basic education

cycle from ten to twelve years and highlighted as the most comprehensive

basic education reform initiative ever done in the country since the

establishment of the public education system more than a century ago.

Due to rapid development and new perspectives in education

curriculums, the construction of education depends on the qualified

organization, in other words, educational administration is critically

significant for education quality (Drucker, 1983; cited in Çoban, 2011). The

Philippines is one of the countries in Southeast Asia strengthening its

education program (Gardner, 2000). Education in the Philippines is really

important since it is the primary avenue for social upgrade and

economic mobility ( Daro,2012 ).

When we look at the Education System in Germany, one of the main

objectives of schooling is to develop basic information, abilities, behaviors and

habits of children (Gokce & Celep, 2011). Some of the basic principles of the

system are generality and equality, meeting the needs of the individual
and society, orientation, continuity and conformity . With this initiative, this

study would try to explore the current Educational System of two selected

countries, Philippines and Germany, and discuss how does the system differ

and in which part does these two are similar.

OBJECTIVES:

This comparative analysis will discuss the difference of the educational

curriculum of the Philippines and Germany.

Specifically, it aims to:

1. discuss a brief history of Philippines and Germany

2. identify positive aspects of the curriculums of Philippines and Germany

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

To begin this part of a comparative analysis, a brief history of

both country were discussed, then the suggested comparative variables, and

the positive aspects of both country.

A. History

Philippines Educational System

The Philippine education system has been heavily influenced by

its colonial history, which has included periods of Spanish, American

and Japanese rule and occupation.

Education in the Philippines was unstructured, informal, and

devoid of methods before the Spaniards arrived, instead of making further

emphasis on vocational education and less in academic performance.

The colonization of the Spaniards brought a change to the unstructured

education system, with a transition from vocation-oriented education to

religion-oriented education. However, education was not for everyone, but

rather for the elites; it was lifted when public education was introduced by the

Educational Decree of 1863. Following the defeat of the Spaniards by the

Americans, the education system was modified under the Schurman

Commission and used English as the medium of instruction. In World

War II, emphasis on love for work was made by the Japanese

occupants in the Philippines (Historical Perspective of the Philippine

Educational System, n.d.).

This implies that the education of the Philippines changed from time to

time as colonizers changed, as well as changes in emphasis of education.

The United States has left the largest imprint on the education system,

with many academics at the nation’s universities having received their

training at U.S. universities (LC.B. San Pedro, et al).

To help address the issues of the educational system, the

country began implementation of major structural and curricular reforms with

the Kindergarten Act of 2012 and the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013.

Together, they extend formal education from just 10 years to 13 years

under a kindergarten through grade 12 system (K-12) by adding a

mandatory year of kindergarten and two years of senior high school. (Prior

to 2011, kindergarten was optional and just six years of education were

compulsory.)

The transition period will end with the 2017–2018 school year when

the first cohort graduates from the new primary and junior high cycles. Those

graduating from the four-year junior high cycle will be the first in the nation to

undertake the new two-year senior high school curriculum.

German educational system

The Germanic people in Central Europe have a rich and colorful

history, with many ideas and people shaping the country's development in

many different ways throughout history. However, there is one thing that

remains true about Germanic people and that is their thirst for knowledge and

education. The German education system can trace its roots back to the early

days of Martin Luther's teachings. It is the belief of Martin Luther, that every

man, woman and child must be able to read and write in order to interpret the

bible independently.

Religion has always found a foothold in education and that is why the

bible is often the cornerstone of learning and teaching. In this brief

walkthrough of the German history of education we will explore five periods or

eras that the German nation has passed through on its way to becoming the

industrial and economic powerhouse it is known as today.

First is the Prussian Era, the foundations of the German education

started as early as this period, but it was not until 1763 when the public

education system recognizable today was established by the Prussian king,

Fredrick the Great. He established the foundations for public education for

children from the age of 5 until either 13 or 14. Almost all of the schools were

Church supported and funded and teachers were often Church members such

as clergymen or sextons.

Secondly, throughout the German empire, the education system

constantly evolved. It became more centralized and developed with a more

detailed structure. Having four different types of school, each designed for a

specific purpose to help cultivate children into becoming productive and

responsible members of the society. These different types of school are: the

Gymnasium, the Realgymnasium, the Realschule and the Oberrealschule.

The studies ranged from the classical languages, modern languages, or

mathematics and science.During the era of the Weimar Republic after World

War I, the republic established a free, universal four-year elementary school

(Grundschule). For a small fee, students could pay an extra fee to able to

attend an extra one or two years in Mittleschule. After that, students had a

choice, to stop studying or continue completing the exams and apply for a

place at one of the four types of secondary schools.

In the years under Nazi governance, the education system known by

that time to be very effective and strong, did not change with many reforms;

instead it adopted many Nazi ideologies and teachings during that period.

And finally, the period before the modern Germany known today saw the

separation of West and East Germany. Each nation went through a different

phase of reforms during the next 30 years or so. After World War II, Germany

was left divided, causing widespread destruction on both sides. The East and

the West were separated and differences became more common as East

Germany was under the dominion of the USSR whilst the West was overseen

by the allies. The allies only sought to remove the Nazi ideas from the country

and did not attempt to alter the education majorly as it was praised and

admired back then, even at those difficult times. On the other hand, East

Germany started its own standardized education system in the 1960s. The

East German equivalent of both primary and secondary schools was the

Polytechnic Secondary School (Polytechnische Oberschule), which all

students attended for 10 years, from the ages of 6 to 16. After the 10th year,
the students were offered a choice once more. To drop out and finish their

education or undertake an apprenticeship for two additional years, followed by

the Abitur.

The German people withstood the test of time by remaining true to

themselves and coming out on top of the game after a varied and challenging

300 years. One thing that has remained true of the German national character

over the years is the passion for improving oneself through education and

collective learning. This nation's pursuit of knowledge has led to

advancements in both science and technology, helping us humans to achieve

more and be better than we were yesterday.

Ideology of Education

The essential of education in building a person’s character through

developing one’s personality uniquely, improving ability, independency,

and pursuing a happy life; at the same time, it also embarks on a mission

to nurture the citizens who form the country and the society. Due to many

changes in the educational system of Germany, German tried and succeeds

to establish a modern society with respect to its neighboring countries,

western civilization and culture. This is the stage where the German adopt the

modern world of Western education. The Philippines on the other hand,

Filipinos have a deep point of view of education, in which it is treated as

the main street of further social and economic mobility. This was

materialized from the Americans due to their colonial rule, where the ideal
of a democratic society in which individuals could get ahead through good

educational attainment.

It can be inferred that Germany and the Philippines share the same

point of view, in which education is the road to a further mobility of a country.

Philippines

Education in the Philippines is managed and regulated by the Department

of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and

Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). DepEd is

responsible for the K–12 basic education; it exercises full and exclusive

control over public schools and nominal regulation over private schools, and

it also enforces the national curriculum that has been put in place since

2013. CHED and TESDA, on the other hand, are responsible for higher

education; CHED regulates the academically-oriented universities and

colleges while TESDA oversees the development of technical and

vocational education institutions and programs in the country.

1. K-12 Curriculum

Major reforms have been implemented to lengthen formal schooling to

12
years on a 6+4+2 structure. A year of kindergarten has also been added, with

children

beginning their formal education at the age of 5 (versus 7 previously) starting

with the

academic year 2011-2012. The extra two years in the 12-year basic

education

program have been added at the senior high school level, which is an entirely

new tier

of the education system designed to better prepare students for higher

studies or the

job market. It is hoped that the extra two years will also take some of the

pressure off

remedial education programs at tertiary institutions.

a. Elementary Education - Elementary education is compulsory and is six

years

in duration. The year of compulsory kindergarten introduced under the K-

12

reforms is in line with the structure already used by private primary

schools

prior to 2011, which have long operated a seven-year curriculum

starting a
year earlier than public schools. The new K-12 curriculum for grades 1

to 7

was introduced in 2012-13. The elementary curriculum covers language

arts

(Filipino, English, and local dialect); mathematics; science (grades 3-6); social

studies; civics; music, art & PE; health; technology (4-6);

history/geography

(grades 4-6).

Junior High - Students graduating from the elementary level

automatically

enroll in junior high, which covers four years from grades 7 to 10. This level is

now compulsory and free to all students attending public schools. There

are

two main types of high school: the general secondary school, which

enrolls

more than 90 percent of all junior high school students, and the

vocational

secondary school. In addition, there are also science secondary schools

for

students who have demonstrated a particular gift in science at the

primary
level.

Entrance Requirement: Admission to the public school is automatic for

those

who have completed six years of elementary school. Some private

secondary

schools have competitive entrance requirements based on an entrance

examination. Entrance to science schools is also by competitive examination.

Curriculum: Communication arts (English and Filipino), social studies

(including anthropology, Philippine history and government, economics,

geography and sociology), mathematics, science and technology, youth

development training (including physical education, health education,

music

and citizen army training), practical arts (including home economics,

agriculture & fisheries, industrial arts, and entrepreneurship), values education

and some electives including both academic and vocational subjects.

c. Vocational Schools - Vocational schools offer a higher

concentration of

technical and vocational subjects in addition to the core academic

subjects
studied by students at general high schools. These schools tend to

offer

technical and vocational instruction in one of five main fields: agriculture

fisheries, trade-technical, home industry, and ‘non-traditional’ courses

while

offering a host of specializations.

Curriculum: Technical-vocational education underwent the STVEP

(Strengthened Technical-Vocational Education Program) reforms starting

in

2007/08. During the first two years, students study a general vocational

area

(see above). During the third and fourth years, they specialize in a

discipline

or vocation within that area. Programs contain a mixture of theory and

practice. Upon completion of grade 10 and junior high, students can

obtain

Certificates of Competency (COC) or the vocationally oriented National

Certificate Level I (NC I). After finishing a Technical-Vocational-Livelihood

track in Grade 12 of senior high school, a student may obtain a

National
Certificate Level II (NC II), provided he/she passes the competency-

based

assessment administered by the Technical Education and Skills

Development

Authority (TESDA).

d. Science Schools - The Philippine Science High School System is a

specialized

public system that operates as an attached agency of the Philippine

Department of Science and Technology. There is a total of thirteen

regional

campuses, with the main campus located in Quezon City. Students are

admitted on a selective basis, based on the results of the PSHS

System

National Competitive Examination.

Curriculum: As well as following the general secondary curriculum, there are

advanced classes in science and mathematics. The PSHSS system

offers an

integrated junior high and senior high six-year curriculum. Students who

successfully completed a minimum of four years of secondary education

under
the pre-2011 system were awarded a diploma and, in addition, the

secondary

school Certificate of Graduation from the Department of Education.

Students

are also awarded a Permanent Record, or Form 137-A, listing all classes

taken

and grades earned. Under the new K-12 system, the permanent record will

be

issued after the completion of senior high school.

e. Senior High School - An entirely new two-year stage of school

education –

senior high school – is being introduced across the country this year,

after

several major high schools piloted the K-12 program, with the first

cohort

graduating this year after completing twelve years of study. Prior to the

introduction of the 2011 K-12 reforms, high school ended after 10th

grade,

now the end of junior high school.

Curriculum: The new high school curriculum includes core classes and
specialization classes based on student choice of specialization. Students

may

choose a specialization based on aptitude, interests, and school capacity.

There

are seven learning areas under the core curriculum. These are

languages,

literature, communication, mathematics, philosophy, natural sciences, and

social sciences. For their specialization classes, students choose from

four

tracks: Academic; technical-vocational-livelihood; sports; and arts and design.

Students in the academic track choose from three areas: business,

accountancy, management (BAM); humanities, education, social sciences

(HESS); and science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM).

The

technical-vocational-livelihood track consists of four subject areas: Home

economics, agri-fishery, industrial arts, ICT.

. Length of School Year

The academic school year in the Philippines starts in June and ends in March,

covering a period of 40 weeks. Institutions of higher education operate on a

semester
system with an optional summer semester. A number of prominent

universities have

recently (2014) changed their academic calendars to start the year in

August, in line

with international and regional norms. The Department of Education is

said to be

considering a wholesale change to this new calendar to bring it into line

with other

Southeast Asian nations.

. Medium of Instruction

English was the official language of instruction from 1935 to 1987. The new

constitution of 1987 prescribed that both Filipino (Tagalog) and English

are the

official languages of communication and instruction. English continues to be

widely

used from the higher primary level onwards, owing to a dearth of

materials and

resources in Filipino, as well as a shortage of Filipino-speaking

teachers. This is

especially true in vocational and technical fields.

Under the new education reforms, 12 new mother tongue languages

have

officially been introduced to early grade teaching to enhance

comprehension and

learning. English and Filipino are taught as subjects starting in the first grade,

with a

focus on oral fluency. From grades 4 to 6, English and Filipino are

gradually

introduced as languages of instruction. From the junior high level (grade

6), they are

the only languages used for instruction.

4. Grading System

Grade A (Advanced) 90% and above

Grade P (Proficient) 85 to 90%

Grade AP (Approaching Proficient) 80-84%

Grade D (Developing) 75-79 %

Grade B (Beginning) 74% and below

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