SENATOR Robin Padilla asked teachers to not discourage children from learning the mother tongue, amid the use of English and Filipino as main media of instruction.

Padilla also encouraged the Department of Education to continue the use of the mother tongue as a medium of instruction for early learners.

“Let’s not discourage the kids from learning the mother tongue. Let’s not insist that this is the only language they have to learn. Let’s strengthen the Filipino language so that wherever they go in the Philippines, they’ll be confident in communicating with other people using the language,” Padilla said.

Meanwhile, Senate Committee on Basic Education Chairman Sherwin Gatchalian stressed the need to address problems in the implementation of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education under the K to 12 Law.

Gatchalian said he conducted numerous consultations with members of the academe to assess the implementation of the program.

He sought to review the effectiveness of the MTB-MLE, as well as challenges faced by educators, to guide legislators in strengthening Philippine laws on the use of mother tongue as a medium of teaching to improve the quality of education and competitiveness of Filipino learners.

The senator further said the inquiry on the MTB-MLE is the beginning of the series of public hearings by the Basic Education Committee on the status of the implementation of the K to 12 education.