Educational-professional potential of AFP servicemen

Media

Part of Philippine Armed Forces Journal

Title
Educational-professional potential of AFP servicemen
Language
English
Source
Philippine Armed Forces Journal Volume IX (No. 6) June 1956
Year
1956
Rights
In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Fulltext
PHILIPPINES AR!I-U;D FORCES JOURNAL Educational-Professional Potential of AFP Servicemen By Captain Generoso del Rosario, AGS HIS article is an effOJ·t to to the Troop Information and Educashow what has been achiev- tion Division which has as one of ed in the improvement of its functions "the formulation of po the educational and profes licies and operation of a service for sional background of the servicemen the extension of educational oppor in th(' AFP during this stage of its tunities to military personnel." This re-organization and re-training. With function has been assigned to' the the passing of the Tenth milestone Non-Military Education Branch of of our existence as an independent the TI & ED. Realizing the seriousnation, it is well that we take an in- ness of this new role that this Di ventory of our accomplishments in aU vision is to play in the new task, fields of endeavor no matter how an AFP Education Program has been modest the effort and the field so setup. insignificant. In the task of nation In the preparation of this t:ducabuilding the success in the solution tiona! program three basic principles of the daily problems of our lives were considet·ed. Firstly, the salu ultimately make up the total achieve- tary effect of the program i~ the ment of the entire nation. Even be. efficient performance of • assigned fore the grant of Philippine I nde- jobs and its indirect practical pendence on 4 July 1946, the plan- value to the servicem871 personally r,ers of the PA organization have upon his t·eturn to civilian sta-tus. included in its blueprint a new fea- Secondly, the contribution of the eduture as the result of fl new con- cational activities in the maintenance cept which has been one of the les- of a high state of morale. The change sons learned during the two \Vorld of status from war to peace condi Wars. Such a concept is the recog- tion posed a problem in th(!- mainnition of the value of education to tenance of morale among the men. the serviceman in the world strug. Soldiers doing the intelligent things gle against communism and in the they want to do and for a construe. rise of modern technology in the tive end are likely to be more adaptscience of warfare. The task of able and better disciplined. Theil· injecting this new concept in the "idle minds will not be the· devil's military system has been entrusted workshop." Thirdly, the general .... FIG,1 Compar;son of Educoiional level of Officer• of tfte U.S. Army (1963) and the AFP C \952) C\ircen~o e 1-\.~.Grod. Coi-U derq<od Col- Grod 00 Ao 60 -·-0 --·-- --' . ~--· •,'., 20 ... - -*;r-- ,, - . ' .... _ .......... _.-.: _ __._ - ... .,.~ 0 LEGEND ~ H. s. COL IJ.NDERGrADCOL. G!i!AD U.S. ARMY -•-* -* 2;~ ,0,21· 42 y. ._!.· F P -A-A -A 40 y. 52,... educations{ level of officers and to provide opportunity fo1· military men in the service. The value of personnel to pursue off-duty ~:"duca education to the military man in this tiona! activities, including technical, atom'ic aie cannot be over emphas. cultural, vocational, and profession· ized. ln an ideological warfare al studies. This program is designed there is a serious need of men with to attract enlistment of the more well rounded education in all ranks progressive and intelligent type of because as a rule the broader back- men and to encourage them to re ground gives an individual a better main long in the service. Participa understanding of the ideological is- tion in this program is voluntary sue involved. The changed method and open to all personnel regardless and dimension of warfare which uti- of their stiJtion. It makes use of lizes the results of technological available AFP facilities as well as progress requires soldiers of higher civilio.n educational institutions: To intellectual and educational level cap- implement this program at the seable of tackling the more complicat- condary level of education, branches ed weapons and materiel. of the AFPSEM have been estabThe AFP Education Program is a lished in Camp Murphy, McKinley, program set apart from the purely Camp Diliman, Camp Oliva'S and military training program and aims Camp Vicente Lim. Officen and FIG.2 Educational L evel of Officers of the AFPio 1% men desiring college education at· pense. For instmtce during the school tend universities and colleges found year 1954-55 -there were 716 officers in the neighborhood of their camps and 4,553 EM attending off-duty where they are extended special dis- classes throughout the c:ountry. This counts and other privileges in recog- is an indication of the widespread nition of their patriotic duties. It interest in all ranks in educa. is a standing plan to establish AFP tiona! self-improvement. As a result College in Camps when funds and of this attitude it is gratifying to facilities shaU become available. note the steady rise in the educationThe institution of this program a! level of officers and men of the since 1947 has brought home into AFP. Examination of the following the consciousness of officers and men figures obta-ined in the surveys in the advantages of obtaining a high- 1949, 1952, and 1955 will proved this er education as proven by the in- observation. These figures are based creasing number of attendance in d. on the reports from all services and vilian educational institutions outside commands in the AFP including the those attending courses at army ex- PC. Progress in the Educational Level of Officers in the AFJ!. Educational Level Percentage 1949 1952 1955 High School undergraduates 0 0 2.4 High School graduates College undergraduates " 40 34 College graduates 49 52 54 Graduate studies 2.5 . ' I ,I. u,. JUI'E 1956 It is worthy to note the steady de- that in the officer corps of the U.S. crease in the percentage of college A1·my as of 27 !\larch 1953, 2!)•.( undergraduate on one hand and the were high school graduates, 30.2r~ increase in the percentage of college were college undergraduates and graduates on the other. This 42<;f were college graduates. Comis indeed a very healthy sig-n plac- pared with our figures in 1952 which ~na~·:du:.~::r~~c:r::t~:~!i~-~~~~~~~ is the nearest to 1953, it can readily be In a study made of the educational seen that ou1· officers have decidedly level of officers reported by CoL A. higher percentage of college gradD. Martson in his article entitled uates than those of the U.S. Army "Wartime Role for Colleges and For a clearer comparison let us ex Universities," it has been revealed amine the following figures: Comparison of Education of Officers betweer' AFP and U.S. Army AFP (52) 7% U.S. Army (53) High School graduates College undergr«<<uates College graduates 40 'k 52% Similar progress in the educational level of the enlisted personnel has been attained during the same period as shown in the following figures: ProgreiJB in the Educational Level of Officer.~ in the AFP L::dufational LeveL PercentayP 1949 1952 19;);) No formal schooling I c 0 Primary grades 27 4 Intermediate 26 27 27 High School undergraduates 32 36 31 High School graduates " 25 College undergraduates 10 11 College graduates 0 The percentage of EM within the preciable change, but the Improveprimary grade level dropped from ment in the percentage of high school 27 in 1949 to 4 in 1955. This drop graduates is worth!y of special no cannot be wholly attributed to th~ tice. Th~ l"ise from 9'1r in 1949 t.o AFP Education program but to 19'/. in 1952 and 25r;,. in HJ:',5 is an a more progressive policy of enlist- achieveml•nt to which the AFPSEM ment 'and re.enlistment. In the in· must have played a11 impo1·tant con termediate and high school under· tribution if we havt> to considct· that ,;rraduate level there has been no ap- from its foundation on 5 Januar~ I'HILII'PINt;S AllMI::O t'OI!Ct:S JOURNAL FIG.3 Comparison of Educational Level of AF P Officers in i949 and 1965 R.rcenlaae. c <'>C 60 / 10 ~'\' ~0 . /,' \20 I/ ~ 10 If' 0 / ' l..EGEKD ":. P.- H.S. Unde.rsrod s .. M·"· Grodoole. C- COLLEGE Unde.rgrcd 0 .. COLLEGE Groduate E- Groduata St~o~dio..s ,, , ____ WVIMI94-0 ----1965 •·4 7 ~ ~ n 0 z.s 1948 it has enrolled a total of 7,~54 exercise of the proper type of lead. EM and dependents and graduated ership which encourages initiative, 1,196 EM and dependents until self-improvement, and rewards on efMarch 1956. The increase of the ficiency and achievements. This percentage ()( college undergraduates type of leadership also attracts the from 3% in 1949 to 10% in 1952 and enlistment of the more progressive 11% in 1955 il)dicatcs that the AFP and intelligent type of men. Anis attra·cting m o r e desirable other factor is the willingness of the types of men. College graduates in men to undergo sacrifices ' tor the ct~nsiderable number (2%) were in sake of obtaining an education. Last, the enlisted ranks in 191i5. This but not the least, is the readiness of number is expected to swell in due various civilian educational institutime. lions in cooperating with the armed Much of this progress in the im- forces in encouraging its men to adprovement in the educational level of vance educatiomrlly by extending ge· army personnel may be attributed to nerous co .... cessions in the form of dis. several factors foremost of which is the co1• "'!r privileges.