Careful, undue haste often makes waste - II

Definitely, let alone, the restoration of Grade 7 and the additional 5th year in the high school - or a total of 12 years basic education - isn't a sure-fire solution to the worsening quality of the system. Unless the overall causes and factors are carefully thought-out by academic experts, the 2-year arithmetic solution may turn out as a mere panacea.

Admittedly, "products" of the Grade 7 before World War II vintage, had proved their worth in literacy, both oral and written learning. After the War when Grade 6 was later adopted and, despite the series of post-war grade "accelerations" to compensate for the 3-year war interruption, Grace 6 graduates then, and many years thereafter, had also proved their worth.

However, over half a century later until now, elementary and high school graduates, have in general, gradually but markedly deteriorated in quality. Many have turned out deficient in accumulative knowledge and learning; many just a trivial cut above illiterates.

There are exceptions coming from the private schools, like exclusive elementary and secondary schools which can "afford" to hire only brilliant teachers, admit pupils/students of high IQ, provide classrooms and facilities, and maintain high standards.

Without summarily denouncing the public education system run by the DepEd, that is where the real problems lie. And that is where the greater bulk of pupils/students are enrolled, especially the rural poor of mountain/farming villages, and the urban poor and fisherfolk teeming in uncontrolled numbers in cities and towns.

The drawbacks could be an accumulation of a lot of factors that have been taken for granted all these years.

In writing, for example, the early learners had smooth and legible penmanship compared to the later crop. The writing then was in script or the Zaner Bloser style, that is, from left to right, with letters also slanting to the right. With such flowing right direction, left-handed writing is awkward and also a counter-flow movement that does not result in smooth connecting letters. And it lacks speed when under time pressure, or when fast writing is needed, say, when catching up a lecture or dictation.

Thus, the Zaner Bloser was encouraged and with the right hand, not with the left hand. Grade 1 classrooms then had the standard alphabet above the blackboard. But before doing alphabet exercises, "push and pull" and the "indirect oval" drills habituated one's writing hand in wrist movement. Writing had to be with the Grade 1 pencil, in the correct sitting position - not slouching - and correct wrist movement.

Writing then was a 40-minute separate subject, like, Reading and Phonics, Language, and Arithmetic basics yet. Sadly now, seldom could one find the Zaner Bloser penmanship and, the left-hand "minolde" is used by left-handers which are often difficult to read… Unlike now, in the lower grades, the courses of study were simple, and focused on the three R's (Writing, Reading, and Arithmetic) and the method of teaching was in English, none other else.

It was a couple of years, or about 1945, after the postwar classes were opened, that the "National Language" subject had been introduced, and later dubbed as "Pilipino". And also, later in college, "Spanish" was also added as a separate subject. And so, in language alone, there had been a potpourri of some four different tongues in the teaching-learning rigmarole resulting in language chaos.

Most subjects though in English had become of lesser mastery being muddled by Pilipino as a subject; and, in non-Tagalog speaking regions and provinces, like, Cebu, the grade school teachers had to expound lessons in English or Pilipino, and also in Cebuano.

And add Spanish in college then, the babel of the unspoken foreign language beyond comprehension would complete the language anarchy… To cap it all now, the Cebu Province officialdom has decreed to use "Cebuano" in grade school, instead of "Pilipino". How's that for a nasty nightmare? (To be continued)

*  *  *

Email: [email protected]