THE Department of Education yesterday allayed the concerns aired by some sectors, including teachers’ groups, on the impending removal of the “Mother Tongue” subject from the K-12 curriculum.
DepEd spokesperson Michael Tan Poa said no final decision has been made on the issue.
“We have not yet made a final decision on that. Consultation with experts and stakeholders are ongoing nationwide in line with our K to 12 review,” he said. “Our DepEd secretary has not yet made a decision.”
He said the DepEd will come up with a definitive statement on the issue once consultation with stakeholders is done.
Last August, Poa said Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte is open to returning the medium of instruction to English and Filipino instead of the “mother tongue” for primary students.
Education Undersecretary Epimaco Densing told the Senate last Monday that the 50-minute “Mother Tongue” language subject would be replaced by reading and math programs.
Densing, however, said mother tongue languages will continue to be used as a medium of instruction in classrooms.
Densing said the matter was still being finalized but discussed on a “consensual basis.”
Densing previously questioned the effectiveness of the policy in the face of the results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in which Filipino students fared badly compared to their counterparts from 79 other countries in reading comprehension.
Filipino students also scored second lowest in both mathematical and scientific literacy.
Under the K to 12 program, the Mother Tongue subject focuses on the development of students’ speaking, reading and writing skills with their first or local language.
The DepEd said there are 19 local languages being used in schools across the country today.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers said the move to drop the Mother Tongue subject from Kinder to Grade 3 would be a step backward from learning recovery after the pandemic.
It said the move showed the DepEd lacks real appreciation of the mother tongue’s role in learning.
“The Mother Tongue subject is the first step towards the literacy of children. The dialect that they use to converse and understand fully is the best tool to improve their comprehension, and eventually, they would be able to easily read and write in Filipino or English,” Act said.
Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte yesterday appealed to the business community to prioritize the hiring of Senior High School graduates.
Speaking during the 48th Philippine Business Conference and Expo organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the Manila Hotel, Duterte touted the skills of SHS graduates, saying they could be an asset to the business community that is still reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our Grade 12 graduates are not immediately employable and they are not hired by the labor sector. According to the Commission on Higher Education, there is a diploma mentality in our country that you must be a graduate of a four-year course for you to be employed by our industry,” Duterte told the gathering.
She said the DepEd is continuing programs on how to make SHS graduates more employable and ready when they have completed their schooling.
“We therefore hope to see the support of your sector in making sure that our Grade 12 graduates are hired and employed by the industry,” she added.
Malacanang earlier directed the DepEd to complete its review of the controversial K to 12 program within a year.
