MOTHER TONGUE-BASED MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION IN PHILIPPINES

MARIBEL DUNGCA BUAN

The Philippines is a house with rich diversity in language and culture. It is believed that it holds more that 180 languages. As a result, the richness of different languages presented a challenge when it comes with the language acquisition of the students.

According to the Kindergarten Education Act of 2011, also known as R.A. 10157, the Philippines must implement the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) method in every educational institution. The first language of the child must be the medium that will be used in teaching and instruction on kindergarten to Grade 3. This is because the child is more open to changes and information when the language used is the one that they are comfortable with.

The MTB-MLE aims in the mastery and literacy of the mother tongue in the first three grades. They must be able to utilize the language in reading, writing, and speaking. Researches proved that a child can grasp the idea when it is explained and taught in their native language. They have fewer restrictions when it comes in out speaking their thoughts, reactions, and feelings. As a result, they tend to digest the idea more effectively. It is believed that spiral progression also applies in MTB-MLE. A child can only fully learn a second language if he was able to master his first language. Effective usage of the first language tends to help in understanding the second language. Since the instructions were provided in the native language, students can get in touch with numerous competencies since they are not having any difficulty in unlocking ideas provided.

Progression of researches in the cognitive neuroscience has proved that those who were taught using the native language has a higher acquisition rate than those who were taught in second language. The later showed that they do not have a solid framework from their native language and the usage of the second language can result to subtractive bilingualism.

One of the benefits of MTB-MLE is the preservation of culture in every area. The beliefs, ideas, even the stories, jokes, literary pieces, fictional stories, folktales, and legends are transferred to the learners by the native language. This leads to the preservation of the richness of every culture and gives assurance that the culture will be passed on the generations.

Academic excellence is also observed in the students who were in MTB-MLE. When they are compared with the monolingual students, they show a higher understanding and critical thinking not only with their preferred subjects but also in English, Mathematics and Science. As the implementation stage progresses, it was observed that there is a reduction in the dropout rate and grade repetition in the early years. This means that the students feel comfortable and learning process is being given properly to them.

MTB-MLE implements that the second language must be introduced gradually. This is to assure that the students can accept what is being taught. The most effective age when students learn their second language is around three years old and above. This is when their ability to learn is on the highest peak and declines as other cognitive processes increases. It is assumed that a child must learn approximately 2,500 words per year in order to understand the lessons presented.

On the other hand, MTB-MLE also faces challenges in the implementation process. Schools only have limited resources like books, journals, newspaper, and other printed materials written in the native language. Interventions with ICT are being used by some schools in creating their own teaching materials. Seminars and trainings provided are also insufficient. Teachers play a great role in the supervision and support using the native language. It will be helpful if their knowledge is widened and developed to ensure a better bilingual instruction. It is also advisable to have a continuous collaboration of school and household to ensure that the method of instruction is well-understood by the parents. This results to the provision of support in the usage of mother tongue language in school instructions.

Benefits and challenges go hand-in-hand. The only way to resolve these challenges is the ability to identify them and revise or adjust the process based on what are the learner’s need.

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The author is Teacher III at Pias Elementary School