Using Rotary’s 4-Way Test for the DepEd

I was in Manila when I read the news report about the decline of the proficiency of our students in the Filipino language… but I didn’t make a comment until now. However, I got two e-mailed responses to this article so I decided to print first the thoughts of our readers. Here’s the first e-mail:

"Dear Sir: They’re doing IT again! I learned from a teacher that the DepEd is going to enforce strictly the new curriculum. In other words, they’re going to teach Civics (formerly Social Studies) in damned Tagalog. Haven’t we all agreed that English is the language of today? Aren’t the Chinese, Koreans, Russians, and other nationalities trying to learn English? Isn’t it a fact of life that learning English is an advantage in looking for jobs?

"I’m not worried about my own children. I have money to buy books, computers, and all sorts of study aids. But I worry about the rest of the children. Admittedly, I am far from fluent in Tagalog and my children are worse. But heck! Imperial Manila is ramming the damned Tagalog down my throat. Civics is difficult enough in English. But in Tagalog, this is a disaster!

"I beg you to use your enormous influence to reverse this stupid decision… Geraldine Yu… cc: [email protected]"

My good friend, Prof. Fred Cabuang of the Save our Languages through Federalism (Solfed), also e-mailed a response to this article to Dr. Fe A. Hidalgo. Since my primo and I think alike, I decided to reprint excerpts of his response, which he e-mailed to me and I fully agree with it 100 percent!

"Fe Hidalgo… The Philippine Daily Inquirer last Tuesday, March 7, 2006, quoted you as saying that the decline of Filipino proficiency of senior high school students in the Philippines are due to ‘the focus on English, Science and Mathematics’ and ‘because it (Filipino) has been neglected.’

"As an educator myself, I notice it to be true that our teachers have been focusing on English, Science and Mathematics and they are effectively performing their teaching job. I do not believe, however, that their effective delivery of these subjects jeopardizes the Filipino proficiency of the students since most teachers use as method of instruction, either English or their local language (lingua franca). Filipino and English, according to Article 14, Section 7 of our Constitution, are the official languages of the Philippines for purposes of communication and instruction.

"It further provides that ‘…The regional languages are the auxiliary official languages in the regions and shall serve as auxiliary media of instruction therein.’ Since the Filipino language is still an evolving language, is it correct to say that ‘Tagalog Only’ is the test for Filipino language proficiency? The schools now implement a government-mandated nationwide ‘Bridge Program’ of intensified high school instruction in arguably the three most important subjects to better prepare Filipino children for college.

"Most of our students now are afraid of Math. Maybe it’s because of comprehension,’ Reyes said. ‘If you’re poor in English you cannot analyze a problem.’ ‘If you can’t comprehend you will not understand science either.’ ‘The deterioration in the schooling system over the past two or three decades is frightening,’ Peter Wallace said, citing the dismal 8.4 percent passing rate of fresh Filipino information technology graduates in a Japan-sponsored competency test.

"Other Asians used to flock to the Philippines to learn. No more, their colleges are better than ours. A poor primary and secondary education must take most of the blame.’ (Philippine education system in crisis - Posted: 12:17 p.m. (Manila Time), July 5, 2004, by Cecil Morella, Agence France-Presse)

"With the above-mentioned articles on the deteriorating educational condition of our students in English, Science and Math, will DepEd reduce its focus just because the students are not proficient in the Tagalog language?

"If in the DepEd’s description of Filipino subject as ‘learning the Tagalog language,’ is it possible that the decline of ‘Filipino’ is due to the reality that ‘non-Tagalog’ teachers and students are finally embracing their own (lingua franca) native language or dialect? In other words, is the proficiency of students in Cebuano, Ilonggo, Ilokano, Kapampangan, Panggalatok, etc. not considered as proficiency in the Filipino language because they fail in understanding Tagalog? Although Filipino is the national language of the Philippines, surely even the present Constitution has not recognized ‘Tagalog’ as ‘Filipino.’

"With permission from the author of the following test, may I subject the Department of Education to this ‘simple’ TEST — No. 1: Is it the truth that focusing on English, Science and Mathematics is detrimental to learning the Filipino (Tagalog) subject? In other words, if our graduates are more proficient in Tagalog and not in English, Science and Math, are they more competitive in the local and global workplace? No. 2: Is it fair to blame the good teachers and students who excel effectively in English, Science and Mathematics for the decline in Filipino (Tagalog) language proficiency? In other words, is it fair to the students that teachers must not focus on English, Science and Math because students need to be proficient in Tagalog? (I wonder what the non-Tagalog-speaking citizens will say). No. 3: Will forcing non-Tagalog students to learn and speak ‘Tagalog’ bring goodwill and better friendship among their own non-Tagalog-speaking people and community?

"No. 4: Will focusing on Tagalog and not on English, Science and Math be beneficial to non-Tagalog citizens of the Philippines who comprise more than 70 percent of the population? In other words, if Tagalog succeeds as the ‘only’ official language, will you accept the fact that someday, Cebuano, Ilokano, Bikolano, Kapampangan, Ilonggo, and other non-Tagalog regional languages will perish forever from this earth?

"I will appreciate your response to my questions. By the way, the test is called the "Four-Way Test" of the Rotary International. It’s ‘simple,’ but I must admit, not very ‘easy.’ Sincerely yours, Fred S. Cabuang, Vice President, SOLFED Foundation Inc., e-mail [email protected]"

How could I have missed using the time-honored Four-Way Test of Rotary International in assessing the language policies of this land? Thanks for enlightening us Primo Cabuang! Hopefully, DepEd would be enlightened!

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For e-mail responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit Avila’s columns can also be accessed through www.thefreeman.com. He also hosts a weekly talkshow, "Straight from the Sky," shown every Monday, at 8 p.m., only in Metro Cebu on Channel 15 of SkyCable.