The newly-elected 17th President of the Philippines, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., wants the Department of Education to bring back the English language as a medium of instruction in schools.
In his inaugural address, he said that he wanted the learning materials to focus on the basics to prepare the students for a better job. This will also help Filipino teachers and OFWs to survive and thrive overseas.
“What we teach in our schools, the materials used, must be rethought. I am not talking about history. I’m talking about the basics, the sciences, sharpening theoretical aptitude and imparting vocational skills, such as in the German example, alongside the national language, with equal emphasis and facility in a global language, which we had and lost,” he said.
Marcos expressed confidence in his running mate and incoming Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio, to face the country’s education challenges.
A lawmaker, Camarines Sur Representative Luis Raymund Villafuerte, supported Marcos’s plan in the government initiative to upskill Filipino students in the English Language to sharpen further the competitive edge of workers and other professionals in the global market.
The country’s competitive edge in English proficiency has been confirmed by a media report that said the Philippines’ ranking had improved in the English Proficiency Index (EPI), an online Standard English Test conducted by Switzerland-based EF Education First Ltd. That measures the average skill level in the English language of 112 economies.
Meanwhile, the teachers’ group Alliance of Concerned Teachers – Philippines (ACT) is urging President Marcos to use Filipino as the medium of instruction so that students will learn the language they best understand.
www.bing.com. (n.d.). Marcos wants english medium in schools – Search. [online] Available at: link
Ef.com. (2021). EF EPI 2018 – EF English Proficiency Index. [online] Available at: https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/.
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