Training
The Philippines has a long tradition of basic education
for children. During the Spanish colonial period, it was
common for the Catholic Church to have schools for the
children of the region. During the American colonial period
in the first half of the 20th century, education was
developed according to American pattern, which can still be
seen at higher levels. In 2008, literacy was 93% among those
15 years and older.
The compulsory compulsory school is six years old and
includes children between 7 and 12 years. Most children are
enrolled in school, but dropouts are common. Schools are
still lacking in some areas, and in big cities many schools
are overcrowded. Tuition is free, but books and other
teaching materials must be paid, as well as school uniforms
and bus trips. In poor families, this can be an obstacle for
all children to attend school. There are slightly more girls
than boys who complete schooling, which is unusual in
developing countries. Teaching languages are the two
official languages pilipino (tagalog) and english, and often
a regional language is used to help. Check topschoolsintheusa for test centers of ACT, SAT, and GRE as well high schools in the country of Philippines.
The state's five-year secondary school is also free and
in theory compulsory. There the teaching takes place in
English. There are also private secondary schools that may
be ethnic or have religious or other religious affiliation.
In 2008, 55% of boys and 66% of girls went to secondary
school.
Higher education is provided in colleges, universities
and higher vocational schools. Of these more than 2,000
colleges with post-secondary education, 3/4 are private
colleges and universities, many with ethnic or religious
affiliation. The remainder are state or municipal colleges
and universities. In 2008, 28% of men and 32% of women in
the current age groups studied at the post-secondary level.
International ranking lists of prominent universities
include the University of the Philippines in Manila and
Ateneo de Manila University.
Supreme Court President Maria Lourdes Sereno was removed
from the court in May by eight votes to six. Therefore, the
month before, Duterte had officially declared: "I must
inform you that I am now your enemy and that you will be
removed from the court." The Duterte-controlled parliament
had already started a process to have her removed, and he
now urged his supporters to remove her quickly - otherwise
"he would do it himself". The Duterte dictatorship has
arbitrarily executed around 4,200 people since 2016 on
suspicion of drug connections. (Fear for democracy after top
Philippine judge and government critic removed,Guardian
12/5 2018)
In a referendum in the southern Philippines at the end of
January 2019, an overwhelming majority voted to create an
autonomous region consisting of five provinces and 3 major
cities under the name Bangsamoro. In 2014, the government
had signed a peace agreement with the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF), and one of the elements of this
agreement was the implementation of a referendum on
autonomy. The process had then been delayed for 5 years in
the national parliament, but was finally implemented. The
joy was great among the region's Muslim majority, which for
decades has fought for autonomy. An 80-man council will now
be appointed to guide the region into general elections by
2020. The MILF's 30-40,000-man partisan force will be
demobilized as they receive resettlement support, and the
Manila regime will provide 1, 3 billion US $ for economic
and social development of the region which is the poorest of
the Philippines. (Southern Philippines backs Muslim
self-rule in landslide result, Guardian 26/1 2019)
While there was a prospect of the armed struggle in the
southern Philippines ending with the creation of an
autonomous region, the struggle continued in other parts of
the country. The Maoist New Peoples Army (NPA) could
celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2019. It remains active in
the southern part of the country and in scattered areas in
the central and northern parts. The NPA experienced a strong
boom after the fall of Marcos dictatorship in 1986, when it
succeeded in connecting itself to a wide range of popular
organizations. It then reached over 20,000 people under
arms. But internal political divisions weakened both that
and the popular movements, so that by 2019 it was below
10,000. Acc. the Philippine military below 3,500. (Asia's
longest-fighting communist guerrillas - in pictures,
Guardian 22/4 2019)
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