by Marissa T. Aquino
On October 11, 2024, the Republic Act 12027, also known as the Act of Discontinuing the Use of Mother Tongue as Medium of Instruction from Kindergarten to Grade 3, entered into law (Inquierer.net, October 14, 2024). Consequently, the use of mother tongue as the language of instruction in primary level learners' classrooms will officially cease. Under RA 12027, “the medium of instruction shall revert to Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English,” while the regional languages will serve as a supplementary medium of instruction for the students. Does this imply that students can still use their mother tongue for speaking or oral conversations during classroom activities, but not for textbooks and instructional materials?
The goal "Every Child-A-Reader and A-Writer by Grade 1" was created to reinforce Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) through DO 16, s 2012. This goal was implemented in all public schools from kindergarten to grade 3 as part of the K–12 Basic Education Program, which began in the academic year 2012–2013. The creation of this program was a response to the declining academic performance of Filipino learners. Education experts gathered and brainstormed to come up with a remedy. The panel of experts must have taken into account the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) results of students from Japan and Korea, who excelled in mathematics, science, and reading despite using only their mother tongue as the primary language of instruction in the classroom. They may have used this as a foundation to develop the MTB-MLE, concluding that teaching in the learners' mother tongue would enhance their understanding of the subject matter.
At the start of the program, the Department of Education (DepEd) struggled to manage its implementation and guidelines. The primary-level teachers were in the dark trying to navigate their classroom, having English textbooks and IMs only at their disposal. Specifically, the lack of instructional materials and guidebooks, transliteration, vocabulary, and inadequate teacher training posed significant challenges for language teachers in adapting effective classroom techniques and strategies. Despite the creation of modules and textbooks, it was observed that they were confusing due to dialect varieties and erroneous due to their lack of filtering and in-depth editing.
This new legal development could potentially lead to another period of shaky academic performance in the educational system, particularly in primary schools. K to 12 has barely even taken a space in the system; now another change has come. We are still anticipating the thrilling phase. As it is, Filipino students were among the weakest in math, reading, and science in the world, according to the 2022 PISA. The Philippines ranked 77th out of 81 countries and performed worse than the global average in all categories. (Business World, July 24, 2024). The situation does not improve with each passing year. This very dismal result, despite the mother tongue as a medium of instruction, shows the sick state of the Philippines’ education system.
Singapore, where the academic system adopts bilingualism, is renowned for its high-quality education system. In fact, PISA places the country first. Given this, it's unlikely that the English language, as a medium of instruction, is the root cause of the Philippines' poor educational performance. The leaders need to focus on other factors. Leave the language alone. The Cambridge Dictionary defines mother tongue as "the first language you learn when you are a baby rather than a language you learn at school or as an adult."
The change in the medium of instruction will once again put the Department of Education (DepEd) in a difficult situation. According to news reports, the agency is already grappling with numerous controversies, including the 12.3-billion disallowances (ABS-CBN News, September 4, 2024), the overpriced laptops for teachers (Philstar.com, August 25, 2023), and the undistributed learning materials "sleeping" in a warehouse in Laguna (News5, September 2, 2025). Now, this lapsed language is a Senate bill.
Would this issue roll heads again? As of this writing, a lot of noise is already echoing among teachers who are directly affected by this Senate bill, parents and guardians who are having a difficult time convincing their English-gabbing children to speak in their mother tongue, the learners themselves, and even the education experts, implementers, and lawmakers. The Philippine education system is in its "worst state" and requires significant work. Singapore’s former president, Lee Kuan Yew, had this to say, “The most important person (in teaching) is the man who is in charge of the boy.”
Marissa T. Aquino is a licensed professional teacher from Calbayog City, Samar. She started her teaching job at Northwest Samar State University in 2017 right after her almost five-year stint at Christ the King College as English instructor. Her fascination in reading inspired her to study a course that would entail a lot of reading; hence, she took up Bachelor of Arts in English at Far Eastern University. She then proceeded to take up Master of Arts in English from the University of Santo Tomas where she earned master’s degree units while completing, at the same time, her 18-professional education units at Philippine Normal University. She completed her Master of Arts in Education major in English from Christ the King College in 2015. She is currently pursuing her dissertation writing in Doctor of Arts in Language and Literature at the University of Eastern Philippines in Catarman, Northern Samar.
The Teachers' Guide International Magazine, October 31, 2024 (ISSN 2984-9799)