Pilipino in schools
Media
Part of Panorama
- Title
- Pilipino in schools
- Language
- English
- Source
-
Panorama XX (6) June 1968
- Year
- 1968
- Rights
-
- Fulltext
- ■ A strong argument against the use of Tagalog (Pilipino) in Philippine Schools. PILIPINO IN SCHOOLS There are moves to make Pilipino the language of in struction in the first years of school. This is something that should not be done without concrete proof that our educational system will be improved. Some people mistake the waving of a flag with being right. Some peo ple think that Pilipino, be ing something they have mastered in their political campaign speeches, is there fore a language truly broad and communicative; but the blunt truth is that it is not breadth they reveal but their limited brain size. Their use of a language rotates on small talk. The fact remains, if only we are allowed to see, hear and reason above the blare of the national an them played by compulsion over loudspeakers, that Pili pino is much too parochial a language. When it comes to the mere fundamentals and beginnings of such di verse subjects as art, science, philosophy, economics, and so on, its vocabulary is much too inadequate. Our nalists and our Pilipino ex ponents will resent this state ment, but there nevertheless remains the incontrovertible fact. The proof of the pud ding is in the eating, and we have yet to see Pilipino used as a vehicle to express excitingly new ideas, highly technical innovations, or rich, imaginative literature. No significant work in Pilipino has yet been written and published in any field of learning. At present there are stu dies existing to prove that even the use of the verna cular of the community where the school is in the first years of schooling has not advanced the learning capabilities of students as compared (in pilot studies in the same area) to stu dents who learned English as a medium of instruction right from the start. It is difficult to talk about the effects of English as a me dium of instruction in schools on the nation without defi 40 Panorama nite specific studies, sociolo gical and psychological. But there are nations extremely nationalistic such as Switzer land and Mexico, where a non-indigenous language has become the national tongue. One can hardly say that Jose Rizal was less nationa listic and less expressive in his “Ultimo Adios” simply because he chose his last words in Spanish. What should be changed, to our miijd, are the books in English used in many schools. Even if the medium is English, it would be best that these primers be writ ten by Filipinos, reflecting Filipino values and ideas. It is in this area where change and improvement is needed. Confusing un-Filipino values such as love for winter’s snow or Western consumer goods, could be responsible for our so-called “blue-seal mentality.” En glish could be more mean ingful if our primary text books were written by Fili pino writers and educators. — By Alfredo Roces in Ma nila Times, June 18, 1968. June 1968 41
- pages
- 40-41