It’s not just the language

Much is being made about the Bb. Pilipinas-World’s grasp – or lack of it – of the English language, and how remedial measures must be taken – pronto!–– to correct this deficiency before she brings national shame to us all when she competes in the Miss World pageant in October in the Ukraine. Sure enough, the spunky 17-year-old has been given an English language scholarship, so the YouTube sensation that is her pageant interview should not have a sequel come October.

But the problem isn’t just language, it is also the substance of her answer. I wonder if she had just answered in Filipino what she would have said, and what her answer would, in turn, have said about the kind and quality of education our young people are getting.

They learn using error-filled textbooks, in schools that sorely lack equipment (or sorely lack a roof, or desks, or working lights, in too many cases), with teachers who are underpaid and under-trained. That students manage to learn at all is, to a large extent, a testament to the dedication and creativity of our teachers.

Which is why what our cover subject and her organization are doing is so valuable, and so crucial. We can trumpet record growth in our economy, statistics on jobs created and investments pouring in, but if we do not strengthen and improve our educational system, national development will not be a sustainable reality.

Dr. Guevara laments that we are raising a “distracted generation” that is “detached from culture,” who know hardly anything about our heroes like Rizal and Bonifacio, who have probably never read any of our literature or seen any of the artworks of our masters (have you seen Luna’s Spoliarium?). There is a Philippine Cultural Education Plan but it is not being implemented. We speak in Taglish and spell in text. Although it’s a start, we need to do a lot more than bone up on our English if we want to take pride of place on the world stage – whether at a beauty pageant or an international conference or a corporate boardroom.