Getting started for school

Recently, we were  preparing for school and I was  reminded of several concerns. First, there is the issue of the use of the mother tongue or the first language as medium of instruction, especially for the early years. I totally agree with this for many reasons. First of all, as the child leaves the comfort of home to enter the new strange world of the school, wouldn’t it be helpful to welcome her/him with the language of home? Wouldn’t this reduce the trauma of this transition?

Secondly, this approach has been strongly supported by research. In studies in different places in the world (Mali, Papua New Guinea, Peru, US) as well as some places in the Philippines (Iloilo, Rizal, Ifugao), it has been shown that pupils learning with the mother tongue as medium of instruction get to read earlier, perform better in math and science, and “improve in cognitive skills.” In the study in Lubuagon, it was shown that pupils participated more when the language they first learned is used by the teacher. I have actually observed this demonstrated in the UP Education Reform Program. In UP Cebu through the Pahinungod Office, we  effectively implemented this with neighboring elementary schools.

Renato Constantino had discerned this much earlier when he pointed out in “Mis-Education of the Filipino” that with English as the medium of instruction, the class would be undemocratic because with limitations in the language used in class, students would hesitate to voice out their thoughts, for fear of peer taunting over mispronounced words or grammatical errors. Students would also fear to raise questions using a language they are not very confident with.

I was very glad that with UP’s Sentro ng Wikang Filipino and language policy,  even in grade 7 (before first year) I can encourage  students to use Sugbu-anon, Filipino or English in raising questions, in voicing out their opinions, in writing essays in the language they can best express themselves. I also use these languages to assist  students to emphasize and to dramatize. So aside from the English and Filipino quotations we have: “Ang alimango nga magdukaduka maanud sa baha.” Even if I have said this, they still ask permission to answer in our own local language!

When Bro. Armin Luistro explained the K + 12 educational reform. He stressed that the change is not only quantitative but qualitative. He proceeded by telling all that there will not only be more variety in the approaches to the learning process but also more fun. This is asserted as a Key Reform Thrust of the Basic Education Reform Agenda (BESRA). Dr. Allan Bernardo of La Salle declared: “The recognition that diversity in the range of delivery modes for basic education would not only improve access to basic education services, but more importantly, it would also improve learning outcomes as it recognizes the diverse circumstances and resources of each learner.”

This actually emphasizes the importance of a culturally appropriate education—learning that is responsive to the world of the pupils and the students. It suggests that there are many learning opportunities in their localities. Exposure and interaction with the social realities result in many educational outcomes. I hope many educators availed of the many learning opportunities of Gabii sa Kabilin. I observed many adults who were thrilled to realize that we have these heritage treasures. But we need to start them young.

Another badly needed improvement is the integration of the gender perspective in the curriculum, the need to be conscious of providing a gender-fair curriculum.

“Gender and Educational Quality” by Myra Sadker, David Sadker and Lynette Long has a very comprehensive presentation on gender and education. First, there is the description of gender bias in schools. This is followed by improvements of this aspect. “The Cost of Sexism in School” explains the effect of the lack of sensitivity towards gender issues in schools. The authors end with proposals for gender-fair education.

What struck me the most was: “Society socializes boys into an active, independent, and aggressive role. But such behavior is incongruent with school norms and rituals that stress quiet behavior and docility. This results in a pattern of role conflict for boys particularly during elementary years.” I was taken by this because we have a problem of dropouts in our educational system. The dropout rate of boys is higher than that of girls. One of the reasons, of course, is that in our child rearing, boys are allowed to go into child labor earlier than girls. In a study of child labor in the drug trade, no girls were observed to be included. The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is an effort to keep our children in school. One condition of the Conditional Cash Transfer is school attendance.

Educators can do a lot to keep both boys and girls in school. We can make school attractive both for females and male. The authors suggest going over our learning materials for gender bias and discussing these with the students. We also need to reflect on the activities offered for experiences for our students; are they motivating only for girls, or can boys actually enjoy them, too? In co-educational schools, we need to see to it that there will be no gender segregation. Teachers need to make a “consistent effort to praise girls and boys working and playing together.” The authors also declared: “Peer tutoring can encourage gender integration. Moreover, this technique increases achievement not only for the students being helped but the student tutors as well.” Let us start right.