Kopi talk - Hooked on education

Hi Gemma thanks for the article, agree Philippine public education  systems adopted the American model systems. As for in Singapore is best described as a mix of cultures (Chinese, Malay, Indian, Perankan, British, American, etc). Singaporean culture is neither “Western” nor "Eastern"; it is a mix of both. It is uniquely Singaporean Many English speaking expatriates describe Singapore as the most gentle introduction to Asia because of "Western influences" in Singaporean culture. Singaporeans speak English, many of the buildings are modern looking and the penal system of Singapore is inherited from British common law. It is common to see Buddhist temples next to Christian Churches in Singapore. The education system in Singapore is modelled after the British education system and students take the exact same GCE O and A levels exams as British students. Students also take up a second language other than English, normally Mandarin, Malay or Tamil. Singaporeans also listen to American and British music. The radios play music from the US and Britain extensively. American TV shows are aired daily on Singaporean TV channels. Singaporean internet forums and literature are mainly in English.

Posted By Gemma Any comment feel free to email gemma 601@yahoo.com

In the wake of the Philippine Revolution, academies, institutes, study centers and ateneos mushroomed all over the country guided by the principles of patriotism, honor, science, liberty and progress. Many of these reflected Jose Rizal's perspective of modern education. In his writings, our national hero said that the Filipino must strive for perfection through an education that is scientific, patriotic, civic-spirited, intellectually inquisitive, and available to all social, ethnic and racial groups.

In Malolos, Bulacan, the Universidad Literaria de Filipinas was established on October 19, 1898 while some Batangueño intellectuals opened the Instituto Rizal in Lipa. Other Filipinos set up the Instituto de Mujeres in 1900, the Liceo de Manila in the same year and the Colegio Filipono in 1901. The Centro Escolar de Senoritas came to life in 1907.

One of the framers of the Malolos Constitution, Felipe Calderon, opened the Escuela de Derecho in 1903 and like his contemporaries, he believed in the imperishable value of a truly patriotic and scientific education.

The Philippine Revolution was not only a call to arms or a crash course on military strategy; more significantly, it was a school for learning. The writings produced by the "brains of the nation" (to use Rizal's words) were not mere manifestos, battle orders and proclamations, they were decalogues, codes of conduct and moral catechisms aimed to transform the Filipinos into patriotic nation builders.

The American conquerors perceived that Filipinos were hooked on education so they immediately installed a public school system to make us see things their way and forget what we had achieved.