Mother Tongue to boost comprehension of lessons

TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte, May 11 (PIA) –  Mother tongue will definitely be taught starting this school year opening to public school pupils and students in line  with  the implementation of  K to 12 Basic Education Program. Department of Education   (DepEd) officials of the DepEd Tagum City Division however assured parents that their school children will continue to learn English speaking and writing while they sharpen cognitive skills through the aid of the Mother Tongue.

Tagum City Division Superintendent Nenita Lumaad explained in a recent press conference that the use of the Mother Tongue is intended to help  pupils, especially those in Grade I, better understand their lessons when taught and explained in local dialect.

“Why do we make it hard for Grade I pupils to understand their lessons,”  she said. “We will use the language that learners are most familiar with,” she added citing the principle behind teaching through the Mother  Tongue. Lumaad, however, made it clear that the Mother Tongue will  not be used as the medium of instruction  in subjects which practically should be taught in English, but teachers can explain lessons using it to facilitate understanding.

She also said that English and Filipino subjects will still be taught in Grades I to III during which the teaching in Mother Tongue will be given focus. The DepEd K to 12 primer said that the Mother Tongue Based Multi-Lingual Education will be implemented nationwide this coming school year 2012 to 2013 that will open in June.

A total of 921 schools including those for children of indigenous people, have  already piloted the MTB-MLE, and that this implementation will benefit from the experience of these 921 schools. Twelve Mother Tongue languages will be offered as learning areas particularly Tagalog,  Iloko,  Kapampangan,  Pangasinense,  Bikol,  Cebuano,  Hiligaynon,  Waray, Maguindanaon,  Maranaon, Tausug and Chavacano.

In further clarifying issues hounding the implementation of K to 12, DepEd Tagum City Division met with the media practitioners of Tagum City, with whom DepEd sought assistance in explaining the relevance of K to 12. (PIA-11/Jeanevive Duron-Abangan)