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SOLONS CITE LANGUAGE COMPETENCIES AS KEY SUCCESS FACTORS

For Filipinos who are returning to schooling via alternative learning, adapting to their mother tongue is one effective way to reconnect them to the education system, according to Iligan City Representative Frederick Siao.  For those who have remained in school or are teaching upgrading of English proficiency is necessary, says 1-Ang Edukasyon Party-list Rep. Salvador Belaro Jr.

These two advocates of quality education put forth their positions on the relevance of language in education this weekend through separate official statements.

Rep. Siao commented on the decision of Education Secretary Leonor Briones to adjust the passing rate of the Alternative Learning System (ALS) accreditation and equivalency exams to 60 percent from 75 percent because of the tests given last November were more difficult for the out-of-school learners because of the use of English in the tests on Math and Science.

Siao lauded Sec. Briones for admitting the “unfairness” of the November exams. “The DepEd Secretary proved yet again her integrity and courage as an educator when she admitted, on behalf of the DepEd, that the test given last November was “impaired” in terms of fairness.

He asked Secretary Briones to direct the DepEd personnel under her to have the Math and Science tests in Filipino and Cebuano and other major mother tongues or languages of the Philippines, so that the examinees can understand the questions and respond accordingly.

Siao said the DepEd can enlist the technical support of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino and the Surian ng Wikang Filipino for this undertaking.

“If the DepEd needs a higher allocation for this specific purpose, I will support that budget request when the DepEd budget is heard in Congress at committee and in plenary, “ Siao also said.

For his part, Rep. Belaro batted for English as an official language of the Philippines and the state-funded upgrading of English teachers’ competencies in English with the TESDA English proficiency course and certification.

“In the two-year study of Hopkins International Partners, Filipino university graduates average a score of only 630, a far cry from the 850 passable score required by business process outsourcing companies the world over. The study also noted that it is lower than the competency requirement for taxi drivers in the United Arab Emirates, and lower than that of the high school graduates of Thailand and Vietnam,” Belaro noted.

Comparing the results of the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) across ASEAN, Hopkins International Partners found that Thai high school students are more proficient in English than Filipino college graduates.

“By improving the English proficiency of our teachers, we strengthen the English competencies of our youth. It will help secure a better future for them,” Belaro said. (END)

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