mother tongue
Extended Abstract
Current issues in the implementation of the Mother Tongue Based-
Multilingual Education in the Philippines
Paul Julian Santiago
Osaka University pauljuliansantiago@gmail.com I. Overview: From Bilingual Education Policy to MLE
The Philippines saw a big change this year when the Republic Act 10533, also known as the “Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, was signed into law by President Benigno Aquino III last May 15. One of the salient features of this law is the use of the mother tongue (MT) as the language of literacy and as the primary medium of instruction (MOI). UNESCO (2007) defines MT as the language that a person: (a) has learned first; (b) identifies with or is identified as a native speaker of by others; (c) knows best; and (d) uses most. This includes Filipino sign languages used by individuals with pertinent disabilities. Also known as Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education (MLE), this program is more than just using MT as the language of instruction when explaining the curriculum but also developing research- and evidence-based policies, sufficient teaching and learning materials, and intensive teachers’ training.
The shift from bilingual education policy to MLE is promising and has a big potential in solving the country’s many problems in education system. It specifically addresses the high functional illiteracy of Filipinos. The Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) in 2003 and 2008 show very distressing results, and because the bilingual education policy (BEP) was still being implemented when the surveys were conducted, we can assume that the language used as MOI is one of the significant factors. Based on the results of the FLEMMS, the number of functionally illiterates (cannot compute and/or comprehend) stays almost the same at 9.1 million in 2008, from 9.2 million Filipinos in 2003.
The functional illiteracy problem of the country is one of the main concerns of the Department
Current issues in the implementation of the Mother Tongue Based-
Multilingual Education in the Philippines
Paul Julian Santiago
Osaka University pauljuliansantiago@gmail.com I. Overview: From Bilingual Education Policy to MLE
The Philippines saw a big change this year when the Republic Act 10533, also known as the “Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, was signed into law by President Benigno Aquino III last May 15. One of the salient features of this law is the use of the mother tongue (MT) as the language of literacy and as the primary medium of instruction (MOI). UNESCO (2007) defines MT as the language that a person: (a) has learned first; (b) identifies with or is identified as a native speaker of by others; (c) knows best; and (d) uses most. This includes Filipino sign languages used by individuals with pertinent disabilities. Also known as Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education (MLE), this program is more than just using MT as the language of instruction when explaining the curriculum but also developing research- and evidence-based policies, sufficient teaching and learning materials, and intensive teachers’ training.
The shift from bilingual education policy to MLE is promising and has a big potential in solving the country’s many problems in education system. It specifically addresses the high functional illiteracy of Filipinos. The Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) in 2003 and 2008 show very distressing results, and because the bilingual education policy (BEP) was still being implemented when the surveys were conducted, we can assume that the language used as MOI is one of the significant factors. Based on the results of the FLEMMS, the number of functionally illiterates (cannot compute and/or comprehend) stays almost the same at 9.1 million in 2008, from 9.2 million Filipinos in 2003.
The functional illiteracy problem of the country is one of the main concerns of the Department
References: Go, Antonio. 2013. Again, error-ridden textbooks. Philippine Daily Inquirer. June 24, 2013 Granali, Rima Jessamine Lim, Magdalena and Paraluman Giron. 2009. Double exposure in mathematics: a glimpse of mother tongue first. Paper presented at the MLE forum, Naga City, Philippines on July 2009. Nolasco, Ricardo Ma. Duran. 2012a. Make haste, lay waste. Philippine Daily Inquirer. March 17, 2012. Nolasco, Ricardo Ma. Duran. 2012b. MTBMLE: far beyond the Aquino administration. Philippine Daily Inquirer. May 18, 2012. Nolasco, Ricardo Ma. Duran. 2012c. K to 12: More than just decongesting the curriculum. Philippine Daily Inquirer. June 8, 2012. Nolasco, Ricardo Ma. Duran. 2013. Learning by nurturing. Philippine Daily Inquirer. January 25, 2013 Pazzibugan, Dona Tantingco, Robby. 2012. MTB-MLE a Trojan horse?. Sun.Star Pampanga. June 25, 2012 UNESCO