THE PHILIPPINE Business for Education supported the decision of the Department of Education to review and improve its implementation of the Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education program.

PBED made the statement after the DepEd said that it will remove mother tongue subject in the Grades 1 to 3 curriculum to decongest it. However, the education department said that mother tongue will still be used as the medium of instruction as mandated under the Kindergarten to Grade 12 law.

“DepEd’s decision is a welcome development as many of the challenges are anchored on its execution, such as compliance with the minimum requirements set by the law, need for localized learning materials, alignment between teacher education programs and the MTB-MLE framework and the need for assessment and monitoring tools,” PBEd said in a statement.

“The government and private sector must work together and maximize all the tools at their disposal in order to quell the impact of the learning crisis that the country is facing,” the group added.

The Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education policy is a globally proven effective instrument in enhancing the learning of students in the early grades as they read and study in the language that they use at home.

Studies conducted by UNICEF and UNESCO have shown that learners not only do better when they are taught in their mother tongue, but they also develop a more positive attitude in continuing their education.