Part II.pdf - MTB-MLE Network

• Establishment/strengthening of the Community Learning Centres
The community learning centre aims to provide learning opportunities and community development
activities to different types of learners in the community. The activities to be undertaken will
eventually improve the living conditions of the people through lifelong learning.
2. Bilingual Policy
The 1987 Philippine Policy on Bilingual Education under the auspices of the Department of Education
aims to achieve of competence in both Filipino and English at the national level through the teaching
of both languages and their use as media of instruction at all levels. The regional or mother tongue
shall be used as auxiliary languages in Grades I and II. The regional language or mother tongue
shall also be used as the initial language for literacy, where needed.
DECS Order No. 80 s. 1999 specifies that the medium of instruction in all learning areas in
Grade I will be taught in the lingua franca widely spoken in the community where the school is
located, which may be Tagalog, Ilocano, Cebuano or other dialects. The teaching of English as
a subject will be done orally in the second semester.
Under the Non-formal Education Programme, the lingua franca or the mother tongue as spelled
out in the 1987 the Philippine Policy on Bilingual Education should be used as the medium of
instruction in literacy sessions. In order to preserve the use of the mother tongue and to facilitate
the easy acquisition of the basic skills and competencies by the IP learners, literacy facilitators
should preferably be qualified members or residents of IP communities who can speak the language.
These processes are valuable in addressing the problem on the diminishing use of the mother tongue
among the younger generation brought about by intermarriage and assimilation with other people
in the neighboring communities.
3. Current Scenario of Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines
In 2004, the total Philippine population is projected to be around eighty-two million people,
11.8 million of whom are indigenous peoples. The majority of the 11.8 million IPs are found in
Regions XI and X, while the least number are found in Region VII and the National Capital Region.
Currently, most of the indigenous peoples in the Philippines still experience discrimination/
differentiation as reflected by the following situations:
Culture and Educational Situation
• The IPs are the most uneducated and the least to benefit from the social services and
educational opportunities provided by the government
• IPs are still perceived as second class citizens
• Traditional knowledge, practices, and culture of indigenous peoples are dying out
• World views of the young and old differ due to the assimilation processes
• Non-formal education is appropriate for indigenous peoples, but often not sufficient in
content and length of time
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