MOTHER TONGUE will no longer be used as a medium of instruction from kindergarten to grade 3 after Republic Act No. 12027 was passed, where either Filipino and English is returned as the main medium of instruction in schools.
The said law, an “Act of Discontinuing the Use of the Mother Tongue as Medium of Instruction from Kindergarten to Grade 3,” amends Sections 4 and 5 of RA No. 10533, or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, which mandates that teaching assessment for Kindergarten up to Grade 3 students shall be taught in regional or native language and that the curriculum must conform to the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE).
During the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas on October 15, 2024, Department of Education (DepEd) 8 Regional Director Evelyn Fetalvero revealed that regional languages such as Winaray and Bisaya can still be used to help teachers so that students can understand their lessons.
According to RD Fetalvero, it is still possible to have monolingual classes where students use a common language as long as there is a teacher trained in the mother tongue.
As of this writing, the DepEd is still waiting for the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) to fully implement the law. RA 12027, accordingly, will take effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette. By Gwen Maurillo (EV Mail October 14-20, 2024 issue)