Mother tongue-based multilingual education (MTBMLE) was institutionalized in the Philippines to improve education, make it more accessible and inclusive, and promote and safeguard Philippine languages. The policy today remains strong, despite challenges it faces. In this presentation, I give an overview of the MTBMLE situation and outline its strengths and weaknesses. I also argue that much of the discourse for and against MTBMLE betrays a mindset that may run counter to the benefits of mother tongue education. Finally, I argue for a shift towards a perspective that approaches language use in multilingual contexts as fluid and without boundaries.
Mother tongue-based multilingual education (MTBMLE) was institutionalized in the Philippines to make education more accessible and inclusive, as well as to promote and safeguard Philippine languages. Since 2009, when MTBMLE was introduced, education stakeholders have exerted much effort to ensure its success. The policy was later broadened through the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, which also extended basic education to 13 years. A decade after its institutionalization, MTBMLE remains strong, despite challenges to the policy and its implementation.In this presentation, I will give an overview of the MTBMLE situation in the Philippines, discuss its current status, and outline the strengths and weaknesses of the policy and its practices. The policy stipulates the use of one of 19 mother tongues as primary language of instruction (LOI) in kindergarten and the first 3 years of elementary education. English and Filipino, two official languages of the country, are to be offered as LOI from the 4th to the 6th grade of schooling. In practice, however, English and Filipino oral fluency are introduced as early as the 1st grade, prompting protests from educational linguists who warn about the negative effects of early exit from mother tongue education.In this presentation, I will also argue that much of the discourse for and against MTBMLE betray a mindset that may run counter to the benefits of mother tongue education. Thus, I will argue for a shift in perspective in approaching MTBMLE, a perspective that approaches languages and language use in multilingual contexts as fluid and without boundaries. Such approach recognizes that Philippine languages, including English as a mother tongue, need not compete with each other within the learners’ linguistic repertoire. I hope to argue that a policy that softens, instead of sharpens, linguistic boundaries may be more appropriate in efforts to attain inclusive education.
