ASEAN integration and teaching English as language of unity
THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN) is located at the heart of Asia and is composed of 10 Southeast Asian nations. It is a region of significant and strategic importance with crucial trading routes that connect Europe and Asia and the Pacific.
The Philippines is among the five founding members which established ASEAN in 1967 along with Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. In the following years, five more countries joined the region such as Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
This 2017, the Philippines played an important role as it took the ASEAN Chairmanship, marking the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the region.
The ASEAN 2017 was officially launched in Davao last Jan. 15, 2017 and the ASEAN Business and Investment Program was launched on the 24th at Malacañang Palace.
As a Filipino teacher, the integration of the regional community has implications not only to the economy but also to the cultural and educational aspect. The institution of the K-12 Program which covers 13 years of basic education aims to level off with the ASEAN and the rest of the world.
This integration can either pose a threat or an opportunity not only to the education system of the Philippines but also the future of the Filipino youth in the long run. The synchronization of the academic calendars in universities will eventually usher joint programs and partnerships.
Now, the question remains: what is the role of teaching English in building a united ASEAN community without compromising the independence of thought of Filipino educators?
Abdelkebir Khatibi, author of “Love in Two Languages”, once quoted, “When I speak to you in your language, what happens to mine? Does my language continue to speak but in silence?”
The crux of the matter is how we as educators teach our students to become globally competitive but still rooted in our own culture. The ASEAN integration as mentioned above is not only on the economic aspect but has various implications culturally such as our narrative and language.
To be at par with the rest of the countries of ASEAN, we as Filipinos should speak the language of the ASEAN community.
Now this is where the use and the teaching of the English language, which is considered the “universal language”, comes in. It is undeniable that Filipinos are considered one of the most fluent speakers of the English language in Asia. According to Education First (EF), a world leader in international education since 1965, the Philippines has a high English proficiency with an EF EPI score of 60.59 – ranking No. 3 in Asia.
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