Macasinag: On the decline of English proficiency | More | By Tess B.

Macasinag Glowing Ember Thursday, August 4, 2011 ONE often hears comments about high school graduates of yesteryears having a better command of the English language than the college graduates of today. This deterioration is manifested in several waysincorrect grammar, lack of fluency in the language, poor reading comprehension skills and poor writing skills among others. Clearly, Filipinos are losing their competitive edge with regard to English abilities. Our claim that we are the third largest English speaking country in the world does not live up to its rank. Today, we hear anecdotal reports of call centers accepting a very small portion of those who apply because only three of 100 applicants are proficient in English. University professors lament the inability of college students to comprehend and express themselves in English. The most alarming, however, is the SWS survey commissioned by Promoting English Proficiency (PEP) in March 2006. The largest deterioration was in the self assessment of ability to speak in English which fell from 54% in September 2000 to 32% in March 2006, a deterioration of 22% in six years. Now considering this, have you not thought how much would it decrease in another six years? 12 years? 18 years? Have something to report? Tell us in text, photos or videos. There are many reasons bandied about to explain the decline in English proficiency in the Philippines. In the governments desire to establish better our national identity, they increased the use of Filipino as medium of instruction sacrificing English along the way. The proliferation of television shows in Filipino and Taglish is another attributor. Lets face it the Filipino workforce is the richest resource of the country. This workforce must maintain good communication skills in English, which will ultimately help the country, attain competitive edge in the global economy. Our ability to communicate in English is one reason Filipinos are very much sought after by foreign employers. The decline in competence of its facility will bring negative effects on our opportunity to compete in progress with other races. A shrinking English proficient workforce would dissuade international companies from investing in the Philippines. We cannot afford to lose what we already have. Hence, we need to relearn our English before we lose it. A collaboration of the different government and non-government organizations can help address this problem. Providing high quality textbooks, instructional materials, reading materials for libraries and training for educators are things that the government can do. Media can do its part by stopping the corruption of English in its television shows. Parents should also try to encourage their children to read more English books rather than watch mushy television shows. I believe that the school and the home are the best places where Filipinos can develop good English communication skills. Everyone from the educators to the students should aim for

quality in English education. And quality is never an accident. It is the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, and skillful execution. Let us therefore resolve to improve our proficiency in English and restore the Philippines in its former glory. After all from all indicators, English will continue to be the universal language for all times to come. The time for learning it sure has shortened, but the demands on the persons ability to understand, speak, and write it are same, if not greater. Published in the Sun.Star Baguio newspaper on August 04, 2011.