Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education Program

Once again, I am re-blogging a blog I made when I was still studying EDUC103.  Our professor asked us to give 3 arguments to promote Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education.  This blog was originally posted on July 26, 2013 at the UPOU internal blog. 
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Mother tongue-based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) refers to education or learning that begins in the mother tongue and transitions to additional languages, particularly Filipino (or Tagalog) and English (Capitol University, 2012).

If I were to advocate for/promote the Mother tongue-based multilingual education program, I will use the following arguments:

MTB-MLE improves learning outcomes. The learner can express himself/herself easily in his/her own language (L1), and is thus encouraged to participate in class discussions. The learner clearly understands what is being discussed and what is being expected of him/her. The use of L1 increases the learner's affective domain involving confidence, self-esteem and identity. MTB-MLE is also very beneficial in learning how to read and write. According to Benson in her commissioned study for the Global Monitoring Report 2005, “Use of a familiar language to teach beginning literacy facilitates an understanding of sound-symbol or meaning-symbol correspondence. Learning to read is most efficient when students know the language and can employ psycholinguistic guessing strategies; likewise, students can communicate through writing as soon as they understand the rules of the orthographic (or other written) system of their language”. One concern of those who are critical of the MTB-MLE program is that it might be difficult for the learner to learn a second language (L2), like English. The opposite is actually true. Several studies show that a mastery of L1 is a solid foundation for learning in any L2. This shows that the program does not only develop the learner's intellect [cognitive domain] but his/her personality [affective domain] as well. In addition, MTB-MLE encourage learners to become bilingual and biliterate.

MTB-MLE reduces grade repetition and drop-out rates. A study involving 22 developing countries and 160 language groups revealed that children who were previously schooled in their mother-tongue are more likely to be (re)-enrolled and attending school, while those children who lack education in their L1 are more likely to drop-out of school. The positive attitude of children towards school is attributable to the fact that the program also develops the learner's affective domain. Learners seldom feel frustration in school or in learning since they can fully understand the topics being discussed in school.

MTB-MLE lower education costs due to greater efficiency. One of the factors affecting the huge cost of education in the Philippines is the high drop-out and/or repetition rate(s). This problem will be addressed by the MTB-MLE program, and once this is out of the picture, education cost will significantly lower. It is true that the start-up cost of the program is rather high compared to the present recurrent cost of education but then, because of the reduced repetition and drop-out rates, the cost will be lower in the long-run. Not to mention that this program will also produce a higher number of productive members of the economy. As mentioned in the EFA Global Monitoring Report 2005, “Applied to bilingual education in Guatemala, they have found that the initially higher costs of implementing mother tongue programs are outweighed by the savings due to more efficient schooling after only two years (Patrinos & Velez 1996)”.

REFERENCES:

Benson, C. (2004). EFA Global Monitoring Report 2005. As quoted in Multilingual Philippines. Retrieved from http://mlephil.wordpress.com/2009/09/26/the-importance-of-mother-tongue-based-schooling-for-educational-quality/

Capitol University. (2012). Mother Tongue- Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE). Retrieved from http://www.cu.edu.ph/academics/colleges/coed/mother-tongue-based-multilingual-education-mtb-mle/

Mother Tongue Based–MultiLingual Education Network. (2013). MTB-MLE FAQs. Retrieved from http://www.mlenetwork.org/faq

Nolasco, R. (n.d.). 21 Reasons Why Children Learn Better While Using Their Mother Tongue. As condensed in Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education (MLE)-Philippines. Retrieved from http://mothertongue-based.blogspot.com/2009/01/mle-primer.html