It has nothing to do with "Science" or "Math" but CALL CENTERS

Sabi ni Tito Dean:

The poor, the uneducated “probably” wish they were fluent in English, because it would seem to me they already feel fluent in their native tongue and don’t need further education in it. Thus even Americans and Englishmen are often puzzled at why they have to study English. Until they realize that facility, fluency and expertise in English opens the doors to professional careers, businesses, promotions, wealth.

I think the poor and uneducated are “probably” aware of the fact that their betters, like Conrado de Quiros, Randy David, Patricia Licuanan, and indeed all the substantial people of society in govt, business, academe, etc. are all English speaking in their default condition and that when they deign to speak in the vernacular it is merely to impress the poor and uneducated with their noble and generous humility.

I am guilty of that as much as anybody else.

But I am also convinced that any initially poor person won’t be that for long if he can at least read and write good English.

And so I shall do everything to help our countrymen get a leg up on the world by promoting the use of the tools that will accomplish their upliftment: Mathematics, Science and the Lingua Anglica of the 21st Century.

That is not to say that Mandarin and Japanese and French are not also worthwhile studying. Or indeed Filipino. They are!

But we are inextricably a part of the Anglosphere of this Earth. There is no shame in that. Conversely, it is a cruel and misguided notion that the feel-good nationalism these Petitioners urge will do anything but win them National Artists Awards and congratulations from their peers. In its effects, their Petition to the Court, if granted, would be indistinguishable from the language apartheid policies of the Spanish Taliban which effectively cut the Islands off from the rest of humanity for 300 years, and is therefore despicable and hateful to me.

If I am glad and proud to be part of that Anglosphere, it is because the gift of English is what awakened the Sleepers of the Centuries in this archipelago, to the history of the world, to the wonders of science, to the knowledge and notion that they too could one day be as great as their Masters. Or even greater.

Comment:

1) I don't think the petitioners are against teaching English.

2) So does that mean High School math and science teachers who are not proficient or fluent in English will get the boot?

3) Re using English as the medium of instruction, hindi ba most of our teachers try to teach math and science in English anyways? And everybody understands english, lalo na ang mga estudyante natin. Ang problema lang nga ay hindi sila fluent english speakers. siguro sanayan lang yan. pero sa napapansin ko, ang mga karamihan sa mga fluent english speakers natin:

a) lumaki o tumira sa amerika (o sa ibang foreign country).
b) They have parents who are fluent english speakers, at english ang primary language sa bahay nila habang lumalaki ang bata.
c) they have many friends (pinoys, americans) who are fluent english speakers, at english ang usapan nila madalas.

4) I have no problems with English as the medium of instruction. Kung gustong mag-ingles ng teacher, fine. Naiintindihan naman siya eh. Kung kailangang mag-tagalog, e di mag-tagalog... to get your point across.

5) But I think the real reason why the new "English only" rule is in place has nothing to do with math or science, djb. It has more to do with CALL CENTERS.

Katulad ng sinabi mo, halos lahat ng libro natin ay nasa wikang Ingles. Naiintindihan naman natin ito. Pero ang karamihan sa mga pinoy ay poor english speakers. Short of having the a) b) c)s that i listed above, it's going to be tough for the average pinoy to be fluent native speakers. The main intention of those who created this new "English only" rule is make our students become more fluent english speakers. Not a bad thing. (Good luck tho.) Pero ano naman ang kinalaman ng pagsagot mo ng ingles sa math or science? But do you get style points for being "more articulate." ;) Most Chinese (or "tsinoy") HS students that I know of are not as fluent in english, pero on average, I believe mas matataas ang mga math at science scores nila kaysa sa mga average pinoy studes (private or public high.)