NI NOEL ABUEL
Panahon nang gumamit ng salitang Taglish o Tagalos-English ang mga non-language courses upang masiguro na madaling matuto ang mga estudyante maliban pa sa madaling mauunawaan ng mga ito ang kanilang pag-aaral.
Ito ang sinabi ni Albay Rep. Joey Salceda kung saan mismong ang United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) ang nagrekomenda na gumamit ng mother-tongue ang sa mga paaralan upang madaling maunawaan ng mga mag-aaral ang kanilang pag-aaral.
“So, on the basis of similar recommendations, the K-12 curriculum experimented with Mother-Tongue-Based Multilingual Education. But, as Governor for nine years, most of which was under MTBMLE, I have to admit there was a certain degree of being ideological rather than practical about it. Many saw it as a way to revive dying local languages rather than as a means primarily to ensure that concepts are understood in the most accessible language,” sabi ni Salceda.
“In fact, the UNESCO recommendation is not necessarily to do it in local or regional languages, but for ‘an education in a language they speak or understand. I think it’s time to admit that, whether we like it or not, the language of the media, of national conversations, and of the digital space in the Philippines, is decisively Taglish. Most homes intersperse English and Filipino words freely,” paliwanag nito.
Aniya, dapat nang matigil at gawing mahirap ang pagsasalita ng Taglish sa pagpapaliwanag ng science, mathematics, at technological o technical subjects sa mga pampublikong eskuwelahan.
“It’s time to stop being snobs about Taglish being used to explain science, mathematics, and technological or technical subjects in public schools. STEM courses are not language courses. They are courses that need to be delivered in the easiest language for both teacher and student,” ayon pa sa kongresista.
Ayon naman sa World Bank report, hindi nasusukat sa kakayahang magbasa sa Ingles o Filipino para maunawaan ang binabasa kundi nagkakaunawaan ang bawat isa sa pamamagitan ng Taglish.
Sinabi pa nito, na ilang mag-aaral ang nabibigong maunawaan ang binabasa sa purong Filipino o Ingles.
“We can always maintain our fluency in English and Filipino through, well, English and Filipino courses and literature. But, for better or for worse, we are a mixed culture with a mixed conversational language. Our learners deserve being taught in a language that already works for them, not in a language that we ideally should speak,” aniya pa.
Sinabi pa ni Salceda na may ilan ding dapat na ikonsidera sa mga mag-aaral at ito ang tungkol sa kanilang problema sa nutrisyon.
“29% of children in the Philippines are stunted. It’s much higher among the poor, where 42.4% of children are stunted. The country’s Human Capital Index (HCI) of 0.52 indicates that the future productivity of a child born today will be half of what could have been achieved with complete education and full health,” sabi nito.
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