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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DepEd undersecretary suggests English, Filipino as medium of instruction

DepEd undersecretary suggests English, Filipino as medium of instruction

Published Jul 20, 2022 04:41 pm

Department of Education (DepEd) Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III on Wednesday, July 20, said he suggested to Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte the usage of English and Filipino as a medium of instruction in schools.

(RIO DELUVIO / MANILA BULLETIN / FILE PHOTO)

However, the mother tongue in far areas of the country where English and Filipino are not commonly spoken within the family can still be used as an initial language for learning, said Densing in an interview with ANC.

"Language is very critical. I have discussed this a few times to Vice President Sara—although this is not yet official because this has not come out, this is more of a personal comment of mine that again I opened up for discussion with VP Sara," Densing said.

Under the current K-12 law, mother tongue is required as the language of learning from Kindergarten to Grade 3 but Densing noted that this needs revision to improve the state of education in the country.

This proposal will also alleviate Filipino students' performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

PISA is an international assessment of the mathematics, science, and reading performance of students.

"In the major areas in the country especially the highly urbanized cities, we can start already with Filipino and English as a medium of instruction," Densing said.

He added that teachers also need continuous training on the K-12 curriculum and that it is not limited to "a one-week webinar or seminar."

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Epimaco Densing III k-12 ara Duterte Department of education (DepEd)
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