Postcolonial Philosophy of Education in the Philippines

Abstract

Postcolonial philosophies of education in the Philippines emerged from a newly independent government’s desire to unite disparate populations under a common national identity, which was heavily influenced by Western conceptions of personhood and patriotism. The islands collectively known as the Philippines, however, are home to nearly 200 distinct ethnolinguistic groups. The imposition of a universal national identity upon such a diverse populace entails the erasure of identities, knowledge systems, practices, and ways of life that differ from state-imposed norms. Education is a critical site for this subjugation of difference, as evidenced by the state’s imposition of a national curriculum. Yet the national curriculum not only serves to submerge difference, as decolonizing pedagogies and philosophies of education in the Philippines often rise out of collective resistance to the marginalizing aspects of schooling in the region. Postcolonial philosophies of education in the Philippines are, as such, situated within the historical tensions between the national curriculum, the central government’s economic and political agendas, collective calls for human rights, and the philosophies, practices, and knowledge systems of Indigenous peoples (IPs).

Indigenous Peoples and the Right to Education: The Dumagat Experience in the Provinces of Nueva Ecija and Aurora, in the Philippines

“…Education is a tool for enfranchisement and self-determination which the mainstream postcolonial educational philosophy in the Philippines fails to provide (Romero, 2020) but at the same time could be used as a means to promote, protect, and maintain Igorot Indigenous culture (Adonis & Couch, 2017).…”

“…This finding is alarming simply because it tends to deprive IP students of their rights arising from sheer ignorance. It also implies that their minds have been conditioned that the acquisition of Education is a privilege given only to a select few by the instrumentality of the State, through the system of political patronage prevailing in the Philippine social and political contexts (Romero, 2020). Furthermore, the lack of knowledge on the provision of access to cultural opportunities may be interpreted, as a “continuum of manipulation, division, invasion and cultural conquest” intended to impose anti-dialogical action that ensures pedagogical oppression of the minority (Freire, 2000).…”

“…The policies of the government to ensure the rights to Education of the IPs are intended to correct decades-old problem of colonial Education in the Philippines (Romero, 2020). The policies are designed to make up for the historical injustices and discrimination that the IPs are experiencing.…”

“…The postcolonial approach to Education in the Philippines not only furthered the oppression of the learners but also created a dehumanizing effect on them as it unconsciously destroys their cultural heritage and living tradition (Romero, 2020). In fact, the study of Willeto (1999) prescribed that it is not necessary for students to lose their native tongue and culturally assimilate to the mainstream to achieve academic success, as assimilationist ideology maintains.…”

Theorizing Māori-Philippine solidarities through agential realism and punk rock pedagogy

“…The genealogical, historical, cultural, and convivial links between the first peoples of the Philippines, Polynesia, and Aotearoa are often viewed as secondary political concerns to the ongoing ramifications of their encounters with more dominant powers (Salazar, 2000; Wilcken, 2013). Emissaries from such states have historically included settlers, missionaries, occupiers, traders, military commanders, and teachers from the metropoles of Spain, Britain, and the United States (Coloma, 2013; Romero, 2020a). This article seeks to decenter these hegemonic relations and draws from the new materialist philosophy of agential realism to meditate upon the pedagogical construction of Māori-Philippine solidarities in Aotearoa.…”