Cultural literacy in high school

Let us look at the last part of the standard expected of every high school graduate: “The learner demonstrates literary and communicative competence through his/her understanding of the different genres of literature and other text types for a deeper appreciation of Philippine culture and those of other countries.”

Although the general objective of the entire education system is mere functional literacy, DepEd’s secondary education curriculum goes a step further by aiming for the more sophisticated cultural literacy.

Functional literacy is different from basic literacy; the latter is defined by the Philippine government this way: “A basically literate person is one who has the ability to read and write and understands a simple message in any language.”

The international definition of functional literacy, as adopted by UNESCO in 1978, is this: “A person is functionally literate who can engage in all those activities in which literacy is required for effective functioning of his [sic] group and community and also for enabling him to continue to use reading, writing and calculation for his own and the community’s development.”

The Philippine definition of functional literacy comes from the Literacy Coordinating Council: “Functional literacy is the ability to communicate effectively, to solve problems scientifically, to think critically and creatively, to use resources sustainably and to be productive, to develop one’s sense of community and to expand one’s world view.” (Notice that our definition avoids the sexist language of the international one.)

The term “cultural literacy” has had a rough history since 1987, not just in the USA where its originator, E. D. Hirsch, has his advocates and detractors, but in many other countries as well. This is probably the reason that DepEd avoids using the term. The last part of the standard, however, clearly points to the need for every high school graduate to attain cultural literacy.

The current definition of cultural literacy is that adopted by the American National Council of the Professors of Educational Administration: “Cultural literacy is the ability to be informed by beliefs and behaviors that have been shared from one generation to another in an oral or written form. Cultural literacy can create a knowledge and awareness that brings distinct commitment to social justice, responsibility to defend human dignity, and respect for cultures and languages associated with different nations and lifestyles.”

In other words, a culturally literate Filipino knows not only how to read and write, nor only how to survive in Philippine society, but also what it means to be a Filipino and how to live life fruitfully in a globalized world.

Since all Filipinos have at least one relative or friend living abroad, it has become very important that students learn what it means to interact with non-Filipinos. We can appreciate the culture of another country, however, only if we know what our own culture is.

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) has been working closely with DepEd to ensure that all high school graduates will at least know and appreciate the most basic elements of our culture. With DepEd Usec Vilma Labrador in charge of both the NCCA and the programs of DepEd, the blending of curriculum with cultural concerns is now seamless.

There are, of course, innumerable details left to work out. In the area of literature, for example, the use of only excellent texts in English and Filipino high school textbooks has finally been assured. Based on a 1985 DepEd project entitled “The Canon of Philippine Literature,” the requirement will force textbook writers not to use their own works as examples of good writing. Many of the so-called literary texts done by non-award-winning writers have grammatical and stylistic errors. No wonder students do not learn good English or good Filipino! Starting June 2010, first year students will be exposed only to well-written English and Filipino. (To be continued)

“WORDS OF THE DAY” (English/Filipino) for next week’s elementary school classes: July 20 Monday: 1. for/banig, 2. hook/babad, 3. by/baga, 4. cruel/bawas, 5. whip/bayaw, 6. harbor/bakat; July 21 Tuesday: 1. day/basa [read], 2. ink/bago, 3. do/baga [lung], 4. rough/banal, 5. young/bilang, 6. disgust/balumbalunan; July 22 Wednesday: 1. ice/basa [wet], 2. land/bata, 3. on/balat [skin], 4. salt/cacao, 5. jewel/balang, 6. common/balakang; July 23 Thursday: 1. key/balik, 2. pain/bangon, 3. no/bato, 4. band/bintana, 5. curtain/bahaw, 6. whistle/bakas [partnership]; July 24 Friday: 1. lip/cake, 2. paint/cadet, 3. be/cable, 4. sand/cargo, 5. yellow/certificate, 6. teaching/cadre. The numbers after the dates indicate grade level. The dates refer to the official calendar for public elementary schools. For definitions of the words in Filipino, consult UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino.