Medium of instruction... English?
By RookRocks
@RookRocks (381)
Philippines
May 1, 2007 4:18am CST
Recently we hear again in the news the Malacañang's plans of once again turning the medium of instruction used on public elementary and high schools back to English. Such move of course once again sparked opposition from many sides.
While Filipinos are undoubtedly losing our edge in English, isn't it more disturbing that such move is once again catering to foreign interests? It just goes to show that the government is once again on the path of producing reliable workers for foreign companies and institutions. Just as the underlying motivation for the Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) being implemented is to put emphasis to science, math, english (which is necessary for quality laborers) and downgrade history, filipino and literature, we are once again relegating our own filipino identity to the sidelines in favor of a foreign one. Even now we see people having difficulty composing a filipino paragraph, or people unable to speak a thourough tagalog sentence without an english word.
I think it is a big waste of time to convert even classroom discussion beyond English classes to another language. What the government should do is just to improve the English subjects by endorsing more seminars and workshops for both the teachers and students.
4 responses
@lvap0628 (731)
• Philippines
3 May 07
Our country's educational system has been a subject of controversy ever since I can remember. I believe that there are subjects that can only be taught in English and loses its relevance when translated into Filipino i.e., math, science and english. However, since we are Filipinos it is also important that our children know about our culture and our language. If you observe the kids today, they are more conversant in English than in Tagalog and it makes me sad because they grow up not liking our language. High school students can't even make a decent composition in Filipino. And since most of these students have cellphones they can't even spell properly because they are more used to text speak than anything else.
@lvap0628 (731)
• Philippines
4 May 07
There was a time when Tag-lish was allowed in schools and it was disappointing because then mastery of either language was sacrificed. It has become natural to hear English interspersed with Tagalog in everyday conversation. Today Filipinos feel awkward when they talk in straight Tagalog or English.
@RookRocks (381)
• Philippines
4 May 07
Informally tag-lish are still allowed. That is because it really can't be helped. If you twist your tongue using pure Tagalog or English it's not only difficult for you but also awkward for the teacher. We may be good in both languages but we are not excellent. In the end we master at none.
@RookRocks (381)
• Philippines
3 May 07
Even I, I have to admit is guilty of such accusations. I use "me" instead of "I" (the first part of the sentence is intentional), d2 instead of speeling out, use abbreviated phrases like "btw" and "gtg." And when asked to compose a decent tagalog paragraph, interchanges "ng" and "nang" as well as "din" and "rin." My tagalog compositions always have red circles on it. And I feel sad. And given the chance I would have liked to go back and used tagalog more often. But I was a product of the times, and I'm afraid on what will happen more on the years to come. I remember watching a student documentary measuring kids' familiarity with our culture. Asked what is the national bird they reply "Eagle," national fruit "saging." They don't even know who was the second president of the Philippines. It's sad indeed how we lose our culture. And it will surely deteriorate more if even our language we fail to preserve.
@cherylmae (173)
• Philippines
1 May 07
goodness, we need english... how can we chat and do e-bay if we're not good in english... of course, we should always honor the filipino language, but the world is changing...
how can we do blogs, do myLot without fluency in english? learning english is a need. a lot of koreans even go to our country just to learn it.. aren't you grateful for our forefathers who have implemented english as part of the national language...
workshops and seminars are just for a short-term.. it should be implemented in the classroom so that a lot of filipino people can use it and communicate english.
how can filipino kids play RF without the knowledge of english or even ragnarok and bots... duh!
@RookRocks (381)
• Philippines
2 May 07
Duh! indeed. I graduated high school in a public school. I took all my subjects other than English in Tagalog. And still I'm proficient in the English language, both in writing and speaking. I can do debates in English, and defend my opinions well. What I am saying is that to cover everything in English is a bit doing it on the extreme. Koreans, Japanese and Chinese won't even go as far as implement English in everything, what makes Filipinos different? Youth these days grew up being talked to and taught in tagalog, and still they are able to play Ragnarok or RF and read comics books, novels, watch cartoons in English.
True, the world is changing. In this time of globalization a proficiency in English is indeed necessary. But not necessary enough for us to be obsessed with it. Now that cultures and people merge, it grows even more important to protect your identity, what makes you unique. What makes filipinos Filipinos? The language. Because the language makes up our reality. Our culture. Our self.
@urbandekay (18278)
•
5 May 07
"I can do debates in English, and defend my opinions well."
Please, I can debate in English and defend my opinions well." We don't normally use a comma preceding a conjunction and the 'do' is not required
all the best urban
@RookRocks (381)
• Philippines
9 May 07
Sheez. What a grammar junkie. You're one of those people a lot of guys here hate, aren't you?
@j27366 (293)
• Philippines
5 May 07
i don't like GMA and her government...but, I agree with making English as the medium of instruction again. Look at what happened when it was made Filipino..our English literacy skills have gone down so much that the problem has taken a toll nationwide. We must accept the fact that we Filipinos need to adjust to the universal language which is English; it is not the other way around. Perhaps, if our national language becomes the universal language, then, other nations should study and learn our own. For me, to show our love for our own language is a must. We can show that by using it in our everyday personal lives - at home, at play, or when we are just conversing with filipino friends. That's why I really feel disgusted to hear Filipinos using the English language to converse with each other outside the class. Why not use Filipino? Why use English in just chatting when both of us know how to speak our native language? We must love our own, but, we must also be a master of the English language because it is the most important language, that's a fact we have to accept.
@RookRocks (381)
• Philippines
5 May 07
Although I agree that in this time of globalization English is most important, we should also look the other way and see how our literacy skills with our mother-tongue suffers.
@magicalmerlin (1623)
•
4 May 07
I am English so glad that it is still universal so that I can converse with people from other nations. However, I find it very sad that people are not educated in their own mother tongue. I did not reaslise that. Lots of languages are merging with Americanisms taking over now. For instance when new things emerge French justs takes the American form like le weekend or le video. Perhaps one day we will all speak the same language. I wonder if that will help us all to get along better. Just like the people on MyLot do now.
@lvap0628 (731)
• Philippines
5 May 07
Good day, magicalmerlin. Yes, there are schools here that do not give much emphasis to Filipino as a classroom subject. There are "English-speaking" campuses where people who enter are required to converse only in English. And sometimes I can't help but admire the Japanese or Thai and other Asian countries who have held on to their mother tongue. And aside from Filipino, I think the Philippines has as many dialects as there are islands. And we are a mixture of different cultures so we have learned to absorb everything that comes our way.
@RookRocks (381)
• Philippines
5 May 07
Yes. Maybe someday we could speak the same language, but we hope that at the same time we give importance to our own language. For us Filipinos, English is a very important language, considering that both USA and the Philippines have close relations with each other and that the Philippines sends out millions of overseas workers. But to preserve our identity and make us more than an amalgam of influences, we have to give more priority to our own language, because it holds not just our communication, but also our culture.
