Blog Entry #4
1/11/15
There are a million and one languages spoken in the Philippines. Well, no, that’s not true. There are actually more than 10 indigenous languages (plus tagalog) spoken throughout these islands. [Warning: Nerd-alert coming next from a very amateur linguist and international education enthusiast]
So why does it matter that from one barangay (community) to another might speak an different tongue? Sure, most people that speak Tagalog will understand those that speak Cebuano (A language spoken in the Visayas) – but the languages spoken by the indigenous communities (referred to as IP in Mindanao) are, as a local leader said to us yesterday after hearing a prayer from the Manobo tribe, it was “all greek” to him.
So, when you go from one end of this island to another and then from island to island there is incredible linguistic diversity. The Philippines doesn’t deal with one language of instruction, nor with two
A community gathers around a legendary peace builder.
– it deals with a whole heck of a lot! And with a fairly centralized education system – speaking with teachers, principals and community leaders alike – the Department of Education rules supreme. Follow their directive or receive sanctions. And often times executive orders are passed down from Manila, but lack of staff, funding and clear implementation strategies make these mandates merely symbolic in nature (Wait for it, I’ll get to that later).
I came to the Philippines to see how multiplicity of language might play a role in the conflict here. And that said, it is certainly not on the forefront of the people that suffered war after displacement after all out war again. But time and time again, I ask – what language do your students learn? What language do you want your students to learn?
This is just the beginning of what I’ve found out. The Philippines Department of Education recently installed mother tongue based education (MTBE) for the first three years of primary school education. Then the students transfer to studying in Tagalog as well as English (ESL content based education).
But, wait! There’s now a new education reform coming down the pipeline. Currently, the Philippine school system goes until grade 10. Then a student can choose to go to a 2 year preparatory bachillerato-type of vocational or academic institute. Then the student will attend university or enter into the workforce – so essentially a kid can finish schooling at the age of 16 if they want. Now the Department of Education is reforming the entire system – making a K-12 system. The last two years of secondary education will force students to choose between four options: 1) academics (medicine, science, literature), physical education, vocational (think welding or mechanic) or culinary skills. So, at the age of 16 a kid will decide their career path – this type of restrictive tracking isn’t so different from many other countries like Germany or even the USA (in certain school districts or magnat school programs). I garnered all of this information from the OECD publications as well as from a local lawmaker in a small community in Central Mindanao who had also been a school teacher for 15 years.
Why does this matter? Yeah, maybe it only matters to the education nerds out there and most readers will have drifted off – but government mandates and subsequent education systems and how they are structured are what encourage or eliminate equity and access to quality education for all citizens (especially the most vulnerable). So, the language a student learns in their first three years of education is important! Many people have told us that sometimes the teacher isn’t well-versed in the mother-tongue of far-flung areas as they aren’t locals and commute to more remote villages – this impacts a student’s ability to learn. And what about the text books and materials, are they all in that specific language? What if certain students speak a different language in the home than the language of instruction?
Many others have told us that although the government might mandate certain changes or reforms, they are unable to put their money where there mouth is. That is to say, the lawmaker I spoke to confided in me that the newly created K-12 system requires funding, new facilities, new teachers (well-versed in the new subjects) and the national government (Manila) may not provide the financial and structural support needed to implement these changes.
The language a child learns in early education is crucial – it affects literacy and fundamental critical thinking and comprehension skills. The final years of a student’s formal schooling is equally as important. The fact that the education system is so centralized implies uniformity, but also means that swift implementation is a fantasy. And who is to blame? Certainly not the teachers that I’ve met who can have up to 50 or 60 students in an elementary school classroom at a time.
This is where I’ll stop for the day. Education and how it plays out on the national scale is a vital component to understanding Mindanao and how it plays a role in the conflict (both visible and invisible) here. I’ve barely scratched the surface in this post as well as in my questions concerning the education sector. The most appropriate ending to this blog is, to be continued…