TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Education regional office has joined the nationwide campaign for the restoration of English as medium of instruction of elementary teachers in Region 8.
DepEd has been campaigning nationwide for the restoration of English as medium of instruction to all public school teachers both in the elementary and secondary levels.
According to Evelyn A. Labitog, Ph.d., DepEd Education Supervisor in English, this proposal has been long initiated but up to this time they find it difficult implementing to public school teachers in the region because teachers practice bilingual medium of instruction.
“Sometime we have to consider that teachers encounter difficulty implementing this medium in the classroom because they also have to consider several factors that hinder the learning of their children like the nutrition, environment, family background and the supervision of the parents on their children’s academic,” Labitog explained.
“In addition to this, in the region we don’t have enough supply of instructional materials which results to the teachers using bilingual medium in explaining in order for discussion to penetrate to the students because the lesson will become ineffective if at the end of the discussion the students do not understand what they have discussed all about, which is our teacher’s concern,” she added.
She stressed that even with this kind of teaching strategy, DepEd encourages teachers to give more emphasis to English language to expose their student at an early age to the language.
Labitog clarified that DepEd gave teachers enhancement program like seminars, trainings and other opportunity in developing their teaching skills in order for their ability not to stagnate. DepEd also provides radio and television programs for children in relation to this campaign.
Labitog added in order for the students to be globally competitive they should be fully armed and exposed in the proper usage of English not just in writing ability but also in fluency and articulateness in the said language because DepEd believes that we are not isolated and we have to adjust and adopt for global change for better job opportunities for the coming generations.
