For several decades, education and language policies in the Philippines have been a popular subject of debate especially among policy makers and school administrators. The 1974 Bilingual Education Policy (BEP) and the 1987 constitutional mandate on the status of Filipino, in particular, were significant issues contributing to the course of the Philippine education system (Rubrico, 1998; Acuña & Miranda, 1994). More recently, the implementation of DepEd Order No. 60, s. 2008 and DepEd Order No. 74, s. 2009 caused a significant change in the current educational landscape. The former recognizes that the mother tongue, when used as the language of instruction (LOI), is the most effective way to improve student learning. Correspondingly, the latter mandate aptly institutionalized Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTBMLE) as a fundamental educational policy program, founded on the basic premise of starting “where the learners are, and from what they already know” (Nolasco, 2009: 2). MTBMLE advances education beginning with the child’s first language (L1) and the subsequent gradual introduction of other languages along with the buildup of the child’s L1 skills. The effectiveness of MTBMLE is irrefutable. However, the success of this approach lies not entirely on the school administrators but on the support it gets from the community as well. By looking into the surveys done on the local community, this study aims to give an overview of the current attitudes and perceptions regarding MTBMLE, consequently providing a glimpse of the Philippine education system in the future.
- Author: Maria Kristina Gallego and Louward Allen Zubiri
- Publication Type: Conference Proceedings Paper
- Published In: Frontiers of Language and Teaching
- Topics: Language policies
- Link: https://www.universal-publishers.com/m/book.php?method=ISBN&book=1612335594