John Nico B.

Tomenio BSCHE 1-A

POSITION PAPER

Topic: Removing of Filipino and Panitikan as required college subject.

The Filipino language went through several circumstances just to be the national language of the
Philippines. President Manuel L. Quezon proclaimed Tagalog as the wikang pambansa in 1939. The
language was further renamed Pilipino in 1959 by secretary of education Jose Romero. The 1973
constitution declared Pilipino to be co-official, along with English and mandated the development of a
national language, to be known as Filipino. Moreover, a national language that is accorded importance
gives a sense of identity and unity among a people of different ethnicities and dialects which is what the
Filipino people are. However, the commission on higher education issued a memorandum deleting all
nine units of the subject Filipino in the college curriculum. Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
rationalized the move by saying that K-12 primary and secondary education are now in place, in
accordance that teaching of Filipino language can be done in the K-12 curriculum.

Will in my case, my stand for this issue is, I agreed on what CHED wanted to happen. I could say
that this will be beneficial to some factors, specifically to the college students, parents, teachers, and
economy. For us college students, the new General Education Curriculum (GEC) will be beneficial to us,
in the way that this will lessen our basic units, we will be motivated, and importantly we will be more
globally competitive. The revised basic and secondary curriculum intended the additional two years
which allow Filipino subject to be accommodated in high school. By this way, the college education can
focus on its interdisciplinary courses. Furthermore, when it comes to parents, the main benefit for them
would be about beneficial aspect such as financial matter. If Filipino subjects would be not included in
the college curriculum, it would lessen the units’ mandatory to learn and pay in college specifically in
private schools and to those parents having a not scholar students. Lesser units mean lesser fees. Aside
from the parents and us the students, removing of Filipino subjects will also be beneficial to the
teachers. Some teachers are more prefer in teaching with their own native language. As a result, they
can’t speak fluently in English and even sometimes in writing they have lapses and error. Focusing on
the universal language in college would broaden global communication process not only for us as a
student but also to the teachers who’s teaching us. When it comes to school, in this case tertiary schools
should really just remove the basic units and this way young adult students will focus and intensively
give a right amount of attention towards their chosen path of career. In result with this action they will
now handle more mature students who will be motivated with their passion, provided that they would
have enough time thinking for what they really want. Lastly in economy, education is a powerful force
for promoting opportunities and growth. We cannot deny the fact that an individual’s educational
attainment is highly correlated with their income. As an individual gain more earnings, they would
contribute a lot to the country’s economic growth, but one of the solution that this will be possibly
happen is the college institution should focus on identifying competencies that are expected from
graduate to the different courses. An example for these are business management, information
technology, electronics engineering, tourism and hotel and restaurant management. These are the main
academic areas that produce the workforce for the rise of industries that are important to the
economy’s continuing growth.

The removing of Filipino language in the college curriculum doesn’t mean the end of nationalism
of professionals in the country. Being a fluent speaker in Filipino is not the only way Filipinos can show
their nationalism and patriotism, as long as they use it in their daily lives and they are not ashamed of it
when using abroad, these would still be considered as a respect in our national language. We all know
that we Filipinos love changes, it is a manifestation that the way we embrace changes is not a contrary
to forgetting but a matter of remaking and developing. Therefore, why not? For this changes in college
educational system will lead in to a globally-prepared competitive individual in any field they’ve choose
to conquer.
John Nico B. Tomenio BSCHE 1-A

REACTION PAPER

(I JUST SUED THE SCHOOL SYSTEM)

Education is said to be the most powerful weapon and an essential thing that we can use to
change the world, enabling students to be more creative, productive, innovative and competitive in the
near future, but how can we achieve these things if one of the hindrance is the school system itself?

From the video clip I watched entitled, “I just sued the school system” where the speaker Prince
Ea gives an argument about the school system from the past and the school system nowadays. We live
differently in the 21st century, where this century is highly connected with technology advancement. This
generation has some different characteristics with its preceding generation, allowing us to implement
different approach in education. In connection to this, Prince Ea said, “one teacher stands in front of 20
kids who has different strains, different needs, different gifts, different dreams and teaches them in the
same thing and the same way”. The biggest problem is the “Educational Malpractice” where kids are not
motivated. Millions of kids do not know their purpose in going to school, except the obligation, where
student went to school with the purpose to work hard and be rewarded if they did well, get to college
and finally have a job. It is not a guarantee anymore it in the future days if the path to it limits you to
what you perceived important to yourself. Moreover, the speaker also points out that, “every scientist
would tell you that no two brains are the same”, because people are divided to academic and non-
academic, intellectually smart people and not. The result of this notion many brilliant people might think
that they are not. On the other hand, Prince Ea pointed out on what should be the school system works,
he said “collaboration instead of competition”, education needs collaboration of students, teachers,
schools, and government. Let’s be more practical in thinking, imagine if schools can be placed where
students can come excitingly with accordance to their will, full of self-directed knowledge, with much
more passion and information about they want to do. For me, it is the real learning process, they will
learn something when they have reason to learn it.

Thus, school should let students wake up with their inner thoughts. They should stick to a model
that are interesting for the students and should not start from production of mentality. Let’s be more
understanding, we should remove the school practices that kills creativity, individuality, and being that
intellectually abusive to the students. The school should be considerate with the differences of
everyone. Students should be taught in line with their interests, they should be after on the strengths
and passions of a student. As what Prince Ea have stated in the video clip, “while students maybe 20% of
our population, they are 100% of our future, so let’s attain to their dreams, there’s no telling what we
can achieve, this is the world I chose to believe, where fish are no longer forced to climb trees.”