A look at the mother-tongue-based multi-lingual education (MTB-MLE) curriculum in the Philippines

The new Philippine President recently mentioned the need to revert back to English as a medium of instruction (EMI) which essentially necessitates a complete review of the mother-tongue based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) curriculum.

In language learning, we published several reasons that MTB-MLE has adverse consequences in learning the English language, as follows:  (1) The teaching of English is not the sole responsibility of the English teacher in an English class - English Across the Curriculum (EAC), (2) The mother tongue is to be used merely as an auxiliary (supplementary or supporting) language in teaching, (3) The children are adept at learning a second language at a young age, (4) The learning of English in the Philippines is in an English as a second language setting, and (5) The language acquisition theories underscore the learning of English at an early stage.  

These findings indicate that there is a need to re-evaluate the MTB-MLE in the Philippines. Numerous studies reveal that the learning of English is enhanced by using the English language at a young age. With these discoveries, the MTB-MLE largely impedes the mastery of the English language. The teaching of English is not the sole responsibility of the English teacher only in the English class. Hence, the utilization of the native language in teaching the other subjects makes the effort
of the English teacher futile since it prevents the learner from using the English language.

Please see the complete study at https://www.erudio.ub.ac.id/index.php/erudio/article/view/398.