ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro expressed dismay over the passing of Republic Act No. 12027, which discontinues the mandatory use of the Mother Tongue as the medium of instruction from Kindergarten to Grade 3.

“Removing the Mother Tongue as a medium of instruction is a step backward in providing quality education to the youth,” Castro said.

“Abandoning the Mother Tongue is a rejection of the various languages in our country and their contribution to our rich culture,” she added.

The new law makes the use of the Mother Tongue optional in monolingual classes. Castro emphasized the need to strengthen language and history education in the basic education curriculum.

As the Department of Education continues to review the Matatag curriculum, she noted that it seems to downplay subjects and methodologies crucial to critical thinking and genuine nationalism.

Castro explained that the challenges faced by the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education program (MTBMLE) stem from inadequate government support, not the program itself.

“DepEd should improve the implementation of MTBMLE by providing adequate funds instead of abandoning it,” she added.

Castro called for a nationalist, scientific, and mass-oriented curriculum.

“Focusing basic education on creating ’employable’ students by removing Mother Tongue and Philippine History does not provide holistic education. It simply produces individuals who are taught to obey without thinking critically,” she stressed.