Mother tongue-based education in multilingual setting an experiment in PH -Gatchalian

Citing the lack of studies on the use of mother tongue-based education in a multilingual setting prior to the policy's implementation, Senator Win Gatchalian described the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) in the Philippines as an experiment.

"After conducting four hearings, my short summary of this exercise is that the Philippines has become an experiment in terms of implementing mother tongue in a multilingual setting," said Gatchalian, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.

Gatchalian quizzed the Department of Education (DepEd), whether a study on mother tongue-based education was conducted before it was institutionalized through the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 (Republic Act No. 10533) or the K to 12 Law. The department confirmed that the studies done were mostly in homogeneous or monolinguistic settings.

"When I asked about the implementation strategy on a multilingual setting, we do not have that also. So, we became the de facto experiment for mother tongue in a multilingual setting. And that experiment is now creating a lot of confusion and negative feedback from our teachers," Gatchalian added.

During the hearings on the implementation of MTB-MLE, the lawmaker pointed out that schools end up using regional languages that children are unfamiliar with, a scenario that is not consistent with the intention of the law to teach learners in their first language. Gatchalian repeatedly pointed out that while the MTB-MLE covers 19 languages, the Philippine Statistics Authority's 2020 Census of Population and Housing lists as many as 245 languages being used nationwide.

State think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) also pointed out that based on its survey of 16,827 schools, less than 10% have complied with the minima for the program's effective implementation: writing big books on language, literature and culture, documentation of the orthography of the language, documentation of grammar, and documentation of a dictionary of the language.

Gatchalian also asked the DepEd to come up with a strategic plan on its implementation of MTB-MLE.

"We know that implementation is not a simple department order. We need to come up with a strategic plan to make it strategic in terms of implementation. We need to know if this can be implemented or not," Gatchalian concluded.

'Mother tongue-based education in multilingual setting' pinag-eksperimentuhan -Gatchalian

Dahil sa kakulangan ng sapat na pag-aaral sa pagpapatupad ng mother tongue-based education sa mga pagtitipong may maraming wika, inilarawan ni Senador Win Gatchalian ang Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) ng bansa bilang isang eksperimento.

"Matapos ang apat na pagdinig, maaari nang ibuod na ang Pilipinas ay naging eksperimento sa pagpapatupad ng mother tongue sa mga lugar na maraming wika," ani Gatchalian, chairperson ng Senate Committee on Basic Education.

Tinanong ni Gatchalian ang Department of Education (DepEd) kung may isinagawang pag-aaral sa pagpapatupad ng mother tongue-based education bago ito isinulong sa ilalim ng Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 (Republic Act No. 10533) o K to 12 Law. Kinumpirma ng kagawaran na karamihan ng mga isinagawang pag-aaral ay ginawa sa mga homogeneous o monolinguistic settings kung saan isang wika lamang ang ginagamit.

"Wala tayong estratehiya kung paano ipatutupad ito sa mga lugar kung saan maraming wika. Kaya naging de facto experiment tayo para sa mother tongue sa isang multilingual setting. At ang eksperimentong ito ay nagdudulot ng kalituhan at negatibong komento mula sa ating mga guro," dagdag na pahayag ni Gatchalian.

Sa mga isinagawang pagdinig sa MTB-MLE, idiniin ng mambabatas na napipilitang gumamit ang mga paaralan ng mga lokal na wikang hindi pamilyar sa mga bata, bagay na hindi naaayon sa intensyon ng batas na turuan ang mga mag-aaral sa kanilang first language o unang wika. Ilang ulit na sinabi ni Gatchalian na bagama't 19 na wika lamang ang saklaw ng MTB-MLE, nakatala sa 2020 Census of Population and Housing na 245 ang wika sa buong bansa.

Ayon naman sa survey ng Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) na isinagawa sa 16,827 na mga paaralan, wala pang 10% ang nagpapatupad ng apat na minima para sa epektibong pagpapatupad ng programa: ang pagsusulat ng big books sa wika, panitikan, at kultura, dokumentasyon ng ortograpiya ng wika, dokumentasyon ng balarila, at dokumentasyon ng diksyunaryo ng wika.

Hinimok ni Gatchalian ang DepEd na magkaroon ng strategic plan sa pagpapatupad nito ng MTB-MLE.

"Alam naman nating hindi lang simpleng department order ang pagpapatupad nito. Kailangan natin ng strategic plan upang maging maayos ang sistema. Kailangang malaman natin kung maipapatupad ito o hindi," ani Gatchalian.