Abstract

This paper examines the appropriateness of the Mother-Tongue Based Multi-Lingual Education (MTB-MLE) policy when applied in urban development contexts in the Philippines. Its “practicality” was assessed based on the demand for competent English language proficiencies in the workplace and on the benefits of English language fluency and usage. This paper also delves on the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and its role in influencing the worldwide movement for the MTB-MLE advocacy. Sparse case studies in the Philippines where MTB-MLE served its purpose and produced satisfactory results that further strengthened DepEd’s proposition to implement this policy nationwide were also discussed. Furthermore, the role of language in development and the principles in language acquisition were analyzed. These bring to light some gauging factors that reveal the flaws of MTB-MLE when applied in urban contexts through an analysis of: learners’ exposure to the English and Filipino languages; lack of mother-tongue based multi-lingual educational materials; and the varying language needs and challenges from each region. In addition to this, discrepancies on the research findings that MTB-MLE advocates used to base this educational principle were examined. The research results mostly cited as bases for MTB-MLE were incidences of primary enrollment drop-outs, low performances in other subject areas such as Mathematics and Science; and teachers’ struggle to communicate in language students do not understand. All these bring significant findings for Department of Education (DepEd) and Congress to reconsider vital revisions in the K+12 curriculum where MTB-MLE is concerned.

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