Written Report

El 104

Lang. Prog. And Policies in Multilingual Societies

Submitted By:
Mondejar, Jemir L.
Estrella, Maria Jesabel A.
Benogsudan, Je-An O.
Submitted To:
Mr. Mark Oliver Alvite
 DepEd Order no. 16, s. 2012: GUIDELINES ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
MOTHER TONGUE-BASED- MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION {MTB-MLE)

1. Starting School Year (SY) 2012-2013, the Mother Tongue-Based-Multilingual

Education (MTB-MLE) shall be implemented in all public schools, specifically in
Kindergarten, Grades 1, 2 and 3 as part of the K to 12 Basic Education Program. The
MTB-MLE shall support the goal of “Every Child-A-Reader and A-Writer by Grade
1.”

2. The Lingua Franca Project (1999-2001) and the Lubuagan Project (1999 to present)
have provided valuable inputs in the implementation of the MTB-MLE. Nine hundred
twenty-one (921) schools including those for children of indigenous people have been
modeling MTB-MLE with support from the following:

Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao (BEAM);

Third Elementary Education Program (TEEP);
Translators Association of the Philippines (TAP);
Save the Children, and the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL).

3. Eight (8) major languages or Lingua Franca and others as cited below shall be offered
as a learning area and utilized as language of instruction for SY 2012-2013:
a. Tagalog; g. Hiligaynon;
b. Kapampangan h. Waray;
c. Pangasinense; i. Tausug;
d. Iloko; j. Maguindanaoan;
e. Bikol; k. Maranao; and
f. Cebuano; l. Chabacano.
4. Likewise, a team of trainers for each region composed of education supervisors
coming from the different divisions has been organized.

5. Enclosed are the guidelines on the nationwide implementation of the MTB-MLE

for the K to 12 Program.

Objectives

The Mother Tongue-Based-Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) aims to develop the

following areas:

1. language development which establishes a strong education for success in

school and for lifelong learning;
2. cognitive development which focuses on Higher Order
Thinking Skills (HOTS);
3. academic development which prepares the learner to acquire mastery
of competencies in each of the learning areas; and
4. socio-cultural awareness which enhances the pride of the learner's heritage,
language and culture.
Areas of Focus

The MTB-MLE shall be implemented in two (2) modes: as a learning/ subject

area and as a medium of instruction. The Mother Tongue (MT) as a subject
will focus on the development of beginning reading and fluency from Grades
1 to 3. The learners' Mother Tongue (L1) shall be used as the medium of
instruction (MOI) in all domains/learning areas from Kindergarten through
Grade 3 except Filipino (L2) and English (L3). The L1 will continuously be
used as MOI in a transition or bridging process (L1-L2-L1 or L2-LI-L2)
through Grade 3.

The L2 will be introduced in the first semester of Grade 1 for oral fluency and
reading and writing will be introduced in the 2nd semester of Grade 1. The
four
(4) macro skills, namely: listening, speaking, reading, and
writing will continuously be developed from Grades 2-6.

Oral fluency in L3 will be introduced in the 2ndsemester of Grade 1,

while reading and writing in L3 will start in the 1st semester of Grade
2. The four (4) macro-skills will be developed starting 2nd semester
of Grade 2 until Grade 6.

Teaching and Learning Process

The MT shall be used as MOI in any of the following models:

Model 1: Ideally, the Kindergarten or Grade 1 class shall be taught in the

children's MT which has been modeled in public schools. The MTs include
the eight (8) major languages (LF) and four (4) others namely: Tausug,
Maguindanaoan, Maranao, and Chabacano.

Model 2: In schools where there are three (3) or more MTs or variations of
the LF without an approved orthography spoken by the pupils, the Lingua
Franca in that area shall be used as the MOI. Special classes offering the
children's MT may be held twice a week if a teacher is available for the
development of oral fluency. The oral fluency skills shall be bridged to any of
the LF languages and the four (4) other languages cited above in the
development of reading and writing.
When an approved orthography of the MT is available and learning resources
have been developed with trained teachers, the schools are encouraged to use
the desired MT. In such situation, the school head (SH) shall inform the
Division Office (DO) so that technical assistance could be provided and
learning resources could be evaluated to meet the national standards for
learning resources.
Teachers' Training and Development

The existing MTB-MLE regional training team organized for the model
schools shall be the same team that will be responsible for the division and
school-based training of teachers on the MTB-MLE for the K to 12 Basic
Education Program (BEP). The members shall be expanded to include
trainers in the Kindergarten. All of these teachers shall have undergone not
 only the Training of Trainers (TOT) for MLE but also the K to 12 BEP.
Challenges of Implementing DepEd Order no. 16, s. 2012

First, the additional mother tongue as a subject area lessens the time allotted for the
children to learn and master English or Filipino. As what have mentioned earlier, kids
from kindergarten up to grades 1-3 will be learning their Mother Tongue as part of the
curriculum. In this case, English and Filipino which is our national languages would
be set aside. Although not to be abolished but the time given would be lessen.

Second, it causes poor performance in English because they weren’t given more time
as compared to the previous pupils who were products of the former education system
without MTB-MLE. Chairperson of Ateneo de Manila University Department of
Educational Management and Leadership Dr. Isabel Martin, stressed out in an
international webinar that parents and other stakeholders were also resistant to the
new policy. Foremost was the concern about learning English. Among parents and
employers, there was the question of employability. For them MTB-MLE would
produce graduates who are not proficient in English, and therefore, of poor quality.

Third, there are not enough instructional materials to teach the local language. To
solve this, teachers have been taught and trained to construct textbooks and story
books during national and regional seminar-workshops. In this way, teachers can
actually create their own big books and later share these to fellow teachers.

Fourth, children are becoming miniature adults. They now open up and express their
opinion in conversations participated in by their parents, teachers or some adults in
their community or in school. It’s quite funny and ironic how they use some vernacular
expressions and gestures formerly used only by older people in the society. Some
believe that this appears rude for a child to join in an adult dialogue. Perhaps, let’s just
put it this way that they are now better able to express their own views, a sign that
they are growing, learning, and becoming more responsible.

Fifth, what really happens in an MTB-MLE class is that pupils are learning a whole
new language with words and terminologies they never heard of. Some terms produce
confusion to the parents, pupils, and even to the teachers probably because these local
lexicons are too old or too deep.

Sixth, pupils coming from the private schools have a hard time speaking and learning
the mother tongue thereby failing in this subject. These pupils are used to speaking
English at home. They couldn’t even hurdle the Filipino subject. So, the MTB-MLE is
but an added burden.

Finally, parents clamor that MTB-MLE is like learning at home, so why send the
child to school to learn a language that he already knows.
Impact of Successful MTB-MLE in the Philippines

MTB as Mode of Instruction

According to a Teacher from Davao City, Region XI, who uses the regional
Language Sinugbuanong Binisaya or Cebuano as a medium of instruction, makes the
teachers comfortable in the thorough explanation of their lessons. It also helped both
teachers and students in a broader understanding of the lessons since it is exemplified
using MTB-MLE. She also mentioned that children are given the opportunity to be more
oriented in their native dialect, they can share and express their thoughts at an early age
during a discussion of the lesson.

Parent Involvement

MTB-MLE also led to higher participation of the community in activities

such as curriculum design, preparation of instructional materials, and teacher training,
and in making the students’ parents who are not proficient in the dominant languages
more involved in the education of their children.

Cultural Preservation

MTB-MLE, as a program that utilizes learners’ first language in schools and lets
children learn their communities’ unique vocabulary, grammar, and expressions, can help
sustain cultural traditions, knowledge, practices, history, and ways of life. As evidence, it was
only during MTB-MLE that teaching-learning materials and literatures on these were actively
developed.
References:

Gempeso, H.D.P. & Mendez, J.D.S., (2021). Constructive alignment of Mother

Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB MLE) language policy
implementation to the practices of a multilingual classroom, English Language
Teaching Educational Journal, 4(2), 125-136

University of Santo Tomas. (2022, February 4). Retrieved from

https://www.ust.edu.ph/ust-gs-english-dept-organize-international- webinar-on-
mtb-mle-benefits-of-mother-tongue-education-highlighted/

ROJAS, S. M. (2016, March 15). LIVING AND LEARNING THE LOCAL LANGUAGE IS
A CALL. Retrieved from https://www.depedmalaybalay.net/mtb-mle/living-
and-learning-the-local-language-is-a-call.

MeridiE. (2021, March 18). Retrieved from https://varlyproject.blog/mother-tongue-based-

multilingual-education-in-the-philippines-its-success-and-struggle/

BIBLIOGRAPHY Tejano, L. (2023, February 22). Retrieved from Rappler:

https://www.rappler.com/voices/ispeak/opinion-mother-tongue-based-
education-and-our-indigenous-peoples/#:~:text=Bukidnon%20tribe
%20builds%20school%20to%20preserve%20way%20of%20life&text=First
%2C%20MTB%2DMLE%2C%20as,history%2C%20and%20ways%20of
%20life.