FILIPINO AS A GLOBAL LANGUAGE

The Philippines: Home to >100 Ethnic Groups

The Filipino language is the countrys national language. There are various ramifications of Filipino usage in the different parts of the country. While DepEd in the K to 12 Program has identified 12 major languages in our country, Filipino stands out as the unifying language.

PROS

CONS

Filipino language unites Filipinos here and abroad. The nuances of the language works well for the Filipinos: - Endearment qualities - Expressions of love, anger, piety, love of God and country - Sense of nationalism and patriotism - Close family ties

Filipino as a language needs to be fully developed to encompass all areas of concern and all disciplines of study A sizeable number of Filipinos can communicate orally but cant write in Filipino It will take time before all Filipinos will appreciate the use of Filipino especially as medium of instruction

PROS

CONS

The number of Filipinos outside the Philippines continues to increase.

The number of Filipino speakers around the world is increasing, approximately 17 million. This is impressive for a small country.

If migrant Filipinos continue to be minority, they will in the long run, adopt the language of their country of residence. By world standards, this is still small.

PROS

CONS

More foreign schools offer Filipino as a language in many universities and high schools especially in Asia and in America. Filipino is the language of soap operas and news; also products that use Filipino boast of a large consumer base. Scholarship and economic interest in the Philippines is growing.

Again, volume-wise, it is limited. As to extent and coverage limited, too.

This phenomenon is observed only by Filipinos. Still, the statistics will belittle such a claim. Yes indeed but confined to U.S cities, predominantly.

Proposed GE Curriculum Proposed Filipino Curriculum

36 units 63 units

Details to be threshed out in more meetings of the Technical Panel as the approach will adopt OBE or Outcomes-Based Education. Meeting will also tackle possible research thrusts.

Questions to raise:

How much of Filipino Language will be mandated in the K to 12? How much of Filipino language will be required in the GE component? How intensive will the curricula be for teachers who will teach Filipino? What components of our language study (specifically Filipino) will be strengthened / intensified?

Preparations needed:

Retraining of GE faculty Retraining of Filipino faculty Access to up-to-date learning materials and resources