A Filipino writer is opposing a lawmaker's proposal to reinforce English as the medium of instruction on all school levels.
In a series of tweets, poet and screenwriter Jerry Gracio slammed the statement of Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas who attributed the dismal performance of students in global reading, math, and science assessment to failure to teach effectively in elementary and high schools.
Gullas called on the Department of Education to map out plans to boost the teaching of English in schools, noting that poor English reading and comprehension skills "have handicapped our students in math and science."
"Ba't mahina tayo sa math at science? Dahil kailangan munang matuto mga bagets ng Ingles bago matuto ng math at science. Kung ang science problema ay nakasulat sa isang lengguwahe na di mo naiintindihan, paano mo sasagutin ang science problem, e pinoproblema mo pa ang Ingles?" Gracio wrote.
(Why do we perform poorly in math and science? Because children need to learn English first before learning math and science. If the science problem is written in a language you do not understand, how do you answer the science problem if you are also having problems understanding English?)
"Tapos na dapat ang debate kung kailangan natin ang Ingles. Kailangan. Pero hindi bilang language of instruction. 100+ years nang Ingles ang medium natin, kulelat pa rin tayo sa science," he added.
(The debate on whether the English language is needed should be over. Of course it's needed. But not as a language of instruction. English has been our medium for over 100 years, and yet we still perform poorly in science subjects.)
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study earlier revealed that Filipino students lagged behind other countries in the international assessment for mathematics and science for grade 4.
The Philippines only scored 297 in math and 249 in science, which are "significantly lower" compared to other participating countries.